Why Must My Tears Go Unseen?
by LuketheL
Summary: College student Megurine Luka falls for fellow club member, Hatsune Miku. As time goes by, Luka discovers more and more about Miku's problematic relationship. At the same time, Luka's friend Gumi does her best to support Luka's pursuit, but has a hard time handling her own emotions. LukaXMiku and LukaXGumi. Warning: Heavy issues discussed. Proceed with caution.
1. The Music Club

A mochi is soft and pleasant. You cannot tell the sweetness of one by the outer appearance alone. It depends on the flavor, and you must bite into it if you want to know. What shows on the outside can be deceptive. A cute pink mochi could, in actuality, taste bitter. In a way, humans are the same.

Megurine Luka put her book down with a groan. She could not find it in her to continue reading. Her Biology test was coming up, and she knew that no amount of studying could prepare her for it.  
"Ugh, I want to drop out so badly."

Luka threw her face into her pillow, wanting to scream about all the troubles college life was giving her. If it were as easy as dropping out, she would gladly do so, but she knew that she needed a Bachelor's degree to qualify for jobs overseas. She always wanted to travel, but never had enough money to see anywhere outside of her hometown.

Despite her struggles, Luka had hope for the coming days. Her school was starting up a new music club, and they planned to put on performances to showcase everyone's talent. Luka, who always dreamed of making it big as a singer, saw it as a prime opportunity to get started. The club's first meeting was the next day, and she could hardly wait.

Luka also could not wait to make some new friends. She had been a loner her entire life, and never made much conversation with others. She was lonely, but everyone assumed she liked to be.

Luka rolled into bed and pulled her blanket over her head. With so much stress going on, she had a glimmer of hope.

The next day, Luka performed her morning routine before heading out to catch the bus. She wore an outfit different than her usual one. A pink blazer and a brown short skirt. Her long, pink hair was held in an Alice band, and she wore a necklace with a blue gem on the pendant.

As she walked down the street, Luka looked up to the sky and sighed. Another day of going along with the routine. Her hometown of Hesutachi was small, yet busy. Crossing the streets to get to the bus stop was always a hazard. Around town were a few shops, but Luka never felt the drive to visit them.

While Luka made her way down the crosswalk, she felt as if someone was following her. Through the corner of her eye, she saw a green-haired girl in a bright orange outfit. The bright colors made her stick out like a sore thumb. She appeared to be Luka's age, and was giving the pinkette an odd smile.

When Luka reached the bus stop, she stood in silence to wait for the bus. Over her shoulder, she could see the orange girl staring at her. She was used to seeing creepy people at the bus stop, so she decided it best not to say anything.

"Hello!" the orange girl said in a cheery voice. "I'm Gumi, what's your name?"

Luka did not answer. She was anti-social as a person, but she made a vow never to speak to people she met at bus stops. Gumi's question lingered until the bus arrived, and the two girls got on.

The bus was relatively empty, so Luka was able to sit in a priority seat without worry. Gumi, however, followed behind and knelt on the seat next to her.

"Don't talk much, do you?" Gumi did not stop staring at Luka, even though she was clearly avoiding her.

"Do you go to Turito College?"

Luka was beginning to sweat in nervousness. Why was this girl so persistent? Luka made it clear that she was not going to answer, so why was Gumi still talking to her?

"No." Luka responded, hoping it would be enough to turn Gumi away.

Gumi brought her head close to Luka's and proceeded to lick the sweat from her face.

"This taste… is the taste of a liar!"

Completely disturbed by the girl beside her, Luka finally spoke up.

"What do you want from me?"

"I've seen you around Turito," Gumi leaned back. "You were with Lily the other day, weren't you?"

"Yeah, Lily's a friend of mine. So what?"

Lily was one of Luka's few friends at Turito College. The two of them shared an interest in music, but never hung out outside of school.

"You're starting up the music club! That's what!" Gumi practically bounced in place.

"Yes, we are. We're having our first meeting today, so we'll see how many people are interested."

"Right here! I want to join it!" Gumi grabbed Luka's arm and leaned close to her face.

"Okay, okay! You don't need to hound me to join it, just show up to the meeting in the J building at 5."

"I know, but I want to get to know my fellow members! I saw you on the way over, and decided I'd come and getcha! Hehe."

Luka sighed. She was somewhat relieved that Gumi wasn't a crazed killer or robber, but she was not ready for such energy so early in the morning.

"Well, my name is Megurine Luka. I am majoring as an Associate of general studies at Turito, so I can transfer somewhere else afterwards."

"Ooh, nice to meet you, Luka! I hope we can be great, great, great friends!" Gumi bounced up and down with Luka's arm in excitement.

"It's nice to meet you too, Gumi…" Luka staggered through her words.

Eventually, Gumi released Luka and sat back. The two were able to have a regular conversation after that. Gumi was still hyper as ever, but she was calm enough to explain that she was a psychology major and loved the arts.

Gumi and Luka got off the bus together once it reached their stop. They walked the rest of the way to school, while Gumi rambled on about her issues with public transportation, which Luka mostly blocked out. When they reached the school, they decided to go their separate ways to their own classes.

"I'll see you soon, Luka~" Gumi gave her new friend a big hug, before skipping off.

"What an unusual girl." Luka watched Gumi skip away, before heading to her own class.

The day dragged on, as it usually did. One boring class after another. Luka was convinced that she failed the Biology test, but she was sure everyone else did too. When five o'clock rolled around, the one thing Luka was looking forward to all day was finally happening.

Luka arrived at the room on the second floor of the J building, keeping an eye out for other people interested in the music club. She was early, but the room was open and she was able to get inside.

The room was used for various classes, but was mostly empty aside from a few chairs. The first issue their club would face would be purchasing equipment. Still, the idea was exciting.

After waiting for a few minutes, Lily joined Luka in the room.

"Hey Luka!" Lily called out.

"Hi Lily!" Luka stood up and went to greet her friend with a hug. The two, being the most interested in the club, were the first ones to show up.

"How'd your test go?" asked Lily after hugging her friend.

"Awful, as usual." Luka laughed.

"Aw, don't think anything of it. Biology is a hard subject." Lily patted Luka on the shoulder and went to take a seat, dropping her backpack on the floor next to it.

"Do you know anyone else who's interested in joining our club?" asked Luka.

"Not really, I'm looking forward to seeing who shows up."

"So am I. I like having the chance to make new friends."

Lily pulled a notebook from her backpack and began writing the things she wanted to go over and the meeting minutes. Shortly after, a familiar girl in an orange skirt and crop top waltzed in.

"Hello, my friends!" Gumi excitedly presented herself.

"Oh, hello Gumi! How nice of you to join us." Lily stood up to give Gumi a hug.

"Hey Lily!" Gumi gave Lily a hug, then went to do the same to Luka. "Hey Luka! You made it here, too."

"Yeah, looks like I did." Luka hugged Gumi in return.

"You two know each other?" asked Lily.

"Oh yeah, I found her this morning." Gumi giggled.

"That's one way of putting it." Luka murmured.

"Well, it's good to know that everyone here is acquainted. I do hope more people show up, though. We need at least four to start this club, since we have four officer positions to fill." Lily looked back to her notebook.

"You must be pretty goofy not to join," Gumi huffed. "This club is gonna be a hit!"

"Right. I see a lot of potential in it." Luka agreed.

The three waited for a while longer, but nobody seemed to be showing up.

"Great turnout, huh?" Gumi laughed.

"Maybe we didn't advertise enough. I thought I handed out a good amount of fliers…" Lily sighed.

"Um, excuse me?" a calm voice spoke from the doorway, attracting attention from everyone in the room.

Luka's eyes widened when she saw a gorgeous young woman standing in the door. She had green hair in long twin-tails, enrapturing blue eyes, and the most adorable face Luka had ever seen. She wore a gray blazer and a black skirt, and had an incredible figure.

"Is this the music club?" the girl with twin-tails asked.

"Yes, it is." Lily smiled at the visitor.

"I hope I'm not too late. My class ran later than expected." the girl entered the room, carrying her backpack and moving over to Gumi and Luka.

"Don't worry about it, we're just getting started here."

"Okay," the girl smiled. "My name is Hatsune Miku. It's a pleasure to meet you all!"

"I-I'm Luka… Megurine." Luka stuttered to introduce herself. She was stricken with disbelief at Miku's remarkable beauty.

"I'm Gumi! Happy to meet you!" Gumi leaped up and wrapped Miku in a hug.

"Oh! I'm happy to meet you too, Gumi…" Miku was startled by the sudden hug. Luka watched with some amount of jealousy, wishing she had the courage to greet someone like Miku with a hug.

"And I'm Lily. We're so happy you could join us." Lily continued to smile at the visitor.

"So, what have you discussed so far?" Miku asked as Gumi released her.

"Nothing much, we were waiting to see if we would have at least four members. I mentioned that we have four officer positions to fill."

"Oh. Well, I see there are four of us now. Heehee." Miku giggled.

"That there are. The positions we need filled for this year are president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer." Lily read her notes aloud.

"Since there are only four of us, how about we just pick one for each?" Luka suggested.

"Normally there's a vote, but I don't think we'll be having any more visitors. So I suppose we can just decide among ourselves."

"You should be president, Lily!" Gumi volunteered the blonde girl. "You're so organized and everything, and starting this club was your idea!"

"I agree. You'd make a fantastic president." said Luka.

"It seems like it from what I've seen. I don't mind." Miku chirped.

"Alright, I wouldn't mind taking the title as president…" Lily humbly accepted. "How about the other three? Luka, you would make a good partner in crime for me."

"Hm? Yeah, I could be vice president."

"Woo!" Gumi cheered. "Go Luka! Take that power!"

"And what about you, Gumi?" Luka asked. "There's still treasurer and secretary."

"I'm pretty good with numbers and stuff," Miku twirled her hair in the corner, shyly. "I could probably do treasurer."

"And I'm great with people!" said Gumi. "I'll be secretary!"

"Well, that was easy," Lily laughed. "Now that we have our positions decided, let's move on to getting this club on its feet."

The four girls discussed various ways to advertise and perform activities for the club. They bonded together and had a great time. The coming days were sure to be a blast for the four friends.

After the meeting, the girls parted. However, Luka could not fight her desire to talk to Miku. She really wanted to know more about this gorgeous girl. As Gumi and Luka left the room together, Luka noticed Miku sitting on a bench in the hall, alone.

"Go on ahead, Gumi," Luka told the green girl. "I'm gonna stay a little longer."

"Hm? Oh, okay. See you next time, then!"

Gumi skipped off, as Luka took a deep breath and approached Miku.

"Uh, hello, Miku." Luka got the girl's attention.

"Hi! Luka, was it?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Isn't this exciting?" Miku's carefree smile captivated Luka. "This club and everything."

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it…" Luka tried her hardest to keep the conversation going.

"Are you leaving now?" asked Miku.

"Oh, no. I'm, er, waiting on a ride."

"So am I! Why don't you sit down and wait with me?"

Luka was more than happy to take Miku up on that offer. She sat down on the bench next to her new friend, but could not make eye contact without feeling awkward.

"What made you join the music club?" Luka tried to keep Miku's interest.

"I'm a huge fan of all kinds of music. I love to sing and perform, and thought this would be the perfect chance to do so. How about you?"

"Same answer. When I can muster the confidence, I can get up onstage and sing anything."

"Ooh," Miku was interested. "What type of music do you like?"

"Pretty much anything. I like the classics a lot, but more modern stuff is also fun."

"I've always liked classic rock, too. I also love upbeat and happy songs that can make any day brighter."

Luka was enjoying this. She successfully struck up a conversation with this adorable girl. Could this have been the start of something?

"I like happy stuff, too. Maybe we'll get the chance to sing together." Luka said, boldly.

"I hope so! I can't wait to hear how you sound. I can tell that you must have an angelic voice."

Luka blushed hard at this compliment.

"Thank you… I bet you sound better, though…" Luka almost said under her breath.

"Aw, don't say that," Miku also blushed. "Everyone has their own style."

"I guess so. Anyway, what else are you into?"

"Hmm. A lot of stuff, really. My fiancée is always introducing me to new shows and games and things like that."

A single word that came from Miku's mouth caused Luka's heart to sink.

"Did you say… fiancée?"

"Yeah, I'm engaged." Miku giggled.

This hit Luka like a punch to the gut. She should have known better than to get her hopes up. It would be one thing if it was just a normal relationship, but engagement? What were the chances?

"How old are you, if I may ask?"

"I'm 19. I know, it's awfully young to be getting married, but…" Miku did not continue her sentence. As if talking about it troubled her. "It's kinda hard to bring up. We've been together for about six years now, might as well keep rolling with it."

Luka felt depressed. She only just met this girl, how could she feel so defeated?

"I suppose. Love is hard to understand."

"What about you, Luka? Have you ever been in love?"

This question took Luka off-guard. She was embarrassed by what she had to answer.

"No, I can't say I have. I had a few crushes in high school, but they never went anywhere. I've kinda just lived my life alone for 21 years."

"But don't feel bad about it!" Miku saw the sadness in Luka's eyes, assuming it was caused by her recollection. "Being single teaches you to take care of yourself, and helps you to work toward your own personal goals."

"I know, but it would still be nice to go on a date or something for once."

Miku sighed and faced the floor.

"To be honest, my Flower's never taken me on a real 'date' either. This relationship hasn't been exactly what you would consider a 'normal' one."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not important," Miku dodged the question. "I shouldn't involve you in my personal things. We've only just met."

"But…"

Luka really wanted to know what Miku had to say, but there was no way to continue questioning it without being obnoxious.

Soon after, Miku's cellphone dinged. She took a look at it, and saw a text.

"My fiancée's here. I should get going," Miku grabbed her backpack and stood up. "It was nice talking to you! I hope we can hang out more in the future!"

"Yeah, same to you!" Luka nodded, watching Miku walk down the hall and out of sight. Once she was alone, Luka pressed her back against the wall and exhaled. She thought she had experienced love at first sight, but it was all a lie.

After sulking for a few minutes, Luka grabbed her backpack and headed out. She could at least take the late bus home. As she walked out the door, something jumped out at her.

"Hey there, Luka!" Gumi leaped out from behind the wall, startling the pink girl.

"Gumi! What are you doing here? I thought you went home."

"Nah, I was waiting for you! We live in the same direction, don't we? I don't want to ride the bus alone at night, you never know what strange people you'll meet there."

"You mean like you?" Luka said, only somewhat joking.

"Haha, yeah. I only started taking the bus today, since walking here all the time got exhausting."

"Well that explains why I haven't seen you before."

"Anyway, what were you doing in there? Talking to the Miku girl?" the two started walking toward the bus stop.

"And what if I was?"

"Nothing," Gumi defended. "It's just that she's a really, really cute girl, and I caught you eyeing her more than several times during our meeting today."

"You're imagining things, Gumi. I was just getting to know a new friend a little better."

"Sure you were, Luka. Sure you were…"


	2. Along Came Flower

Thursday. Another day of classes for Luka.

In her regular matching pink blouse and skirt, Luka waited at the bus stop. A day had passed since the music club meeting, and she found it hard not to think of Miku since. That girl was on her mind nonstop, even though they only shared a brief conversation.

While silently facing the street, Luka felt a cold piece of iron clamp around her wrist. Surprised, she looked to her right and saw a familiar person in the same orange outfit as before, Gumi. The chipper girl had clasped a handcuff around Luka's wrist, while the other side of the cuffs held her own.

"Good morning, Luka ol' buddy!" Gumi beamed.

"Gumi! What are you doing? Why did you handcuff me?"

"Ooohhh..." a devious grin curled up on Gumi's lips. "You like it, don't you?"

"No, I don't," Luka replied. "Let me out of this."

"You're such an easy person to read, Lukie-pukie. The face you made the moment I handcuffed us together told me a lot about your secret passion for restraint."

Luka was slightly embarrassed, mostly because Gumi was right. However, that did not mean that she wanted to be handcuffed in the middle of the streets for all to see.

"What are you talking about?"

Gumi used her free hand to tap on her head, as if pointing to her brain.

"Information taken. This is good for me to know if you want me to help you."

"Help me with what?" Luka had no idea what Gumi was going on about.

"You know..." Gumi booped Luka on the nose. "M-i-k-u."

"What about her?"

"Don't pretend you're not in love. It shows so much. I bet you wish you were handcuffed to her right now!"

"Gumi, stop! She's... she's in a relationship."

The bus arrived and the girls got on. They took a seat close to the front and continued their conversation.

"She's in a relationship, huh?" inquired Gumi.

"Yeah. She told me she's with this girl named Flower or something." Luka looked down.

"Well, that just means you have to be that much more lovable. People often leave relationships when they find someone they love more, y'know."

"I know, but I'd feel so bad about it. They've been together for like six years, is it even worth trying to split?"

"You love her, don't you?" Gumi leaned in. "Love is stronger than time. If this is true love, it doesn't matter how in it with Flower she is. You gotta show her that Luka is the best option!"

"I guess you're right. I'll try."

"You're not in this alone. I got your back, buddy." Gumi gave Luka a big smile.

"Thanks Gumi, but can I ask something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you handcuff us together?"

"To see how you reacted. I can find out if Miku has similar kinks and refer her to you. I'm good at getting that information out of people." Gumi cooed.

"I don't buy it," Luka glared. "That's far too specific to be the reason."

"Hmhm. Maybe I like it, myself~"

The day continued as normal for the most part. Once it was over, Luka headed for a different destination than she usually did. Rather than going straight to the bus stop after her last class, she headed for the B building, where the college cafeteria was. Most students spent their time in between classes hanging out with friends or eating in the cafeteria. Luka wanted to see if she could find Miku among them.

The cafe was large, with tables and chairs as far as the eye could see. A group of geeks were playing some card game and crowding around one table, a couple friend groups chatted in others, some couples were giving each other a little too much attention, and many other events were going on. Luka did not like coming to the cafeteria, since all it did was make her envious that she never had any real friend groups.

After scouting the perimeter for the girl in twin-tails, Luka eventually found her target. Sitting with one other person at a table was Hatsune Miku, looking adorable as ever. The one sitting with her appeared to be some sort of punk rocker, and was looking at her phone. She had short white hair with a black highlight, and wore a heavily detailed purple jacket with black shorts and purple laced boots. Luka did not know the girl, and the style was quite intimidating to her.

"Miku! Hi!" Luka made her way to Miku's table.

"Luka! How are you?" Miku greeted her friend from music club, and invited her to sit at their table.

"I'm alright," Luka took a seat across from the punk girl. "As good as I can be after a day of lectures."

"Haha, right," Miku turned to the white-haired girl. "Flower, this is Luka. She's a friend from the club." Miku turned back to Luka. "This is my fiancee, the one I told you about."

"Hello! I'm Luka, it's nice to meet you." Luka introduced herself to Flower, being as polite as she could manage.

Flower did not say anything in return, and went back to looking at the phone in her hand.

"Flower, say something!" Miku insisted.

Flower peered up at Luka, almost expressionlessly.

"Hey."

"I'm sorry," Miku explained. "Flower never talks to anyone. She's the tough, quiet type."

"Pfft. I talk when I have something to say." Flower said in her defense.

"Am I not worth 'something to say'?" Luka asked, intending for it to be a joke.

"Who knows? I haven't known you long enough to make that judgment." Flower did not have a hint of humor in her response.

This cold personality rubbed Luka the wrong way. There was something negative in the air around Flower, something someone like Gumi would notice. Still, Luka wanted to give the girl the benefit of the doubt. "Maybe she had a bad day?" Luka thought to herself.

"Do you have a class coming up?" Miku asked Luka in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"No, I'm done for the day. I didn't want to go home yet, because..." Luka tried to think of an excuse. "I'm waiting for Gumi. We always take the bus home together."

"Gumi from music club? Yeah, she was waiting for you when I left the other day. Is she your girlfriend?" Miku giggled.

"No, no, it's not like that. Neither of us like taking the bus alone, and..." Even though Miku was joking, Luka feared that she gave the wrong idea. "Anyway, what about you? Do you and Flower have classes after this?"

"I don't go here." Flower answered.

"I do," said Miku. "I have Music Theory at 4."

"Oh. Flower, if you don't go here, why are you here so early?" Luka asked Miku's fiancee. "I assume you're driving Miku home."

"I'm here because I can be. Don't ask me any more questions."

Luka was taken aback by the rudeness of Flower's comment. She almost wanted to go off on the punk, but kept her cool for Miku's sake.

"Ooh, what do we have going on here?" a friendly voice joined in from behind.

Walking up to the table was none other than Lily, who took notice of her music club friends sitting together.

"Hey Lily!" Luka waved.

"Lily, hi there!" Miku did as well. Flower remained silent. For a brief moment, Luka caught a slight glimpse of a glare from Flower's eyes directed at Lily. It was so quick that Luka assumed she was just seeing things.

"I see my friends are getting acquainted," Lily took a seat next to Luka. "See, Luka. The music club was good for you."

"Yeah, Miku hasn't killed me yet." the club members laughed.

"Hey Lily," Miku spoke up once the laughter died down. "On the way home, could we stop at Hatotapi's? I need to get some stuff, and I don't know when I'll have the time to go again."

"Of course. I could go for some shopping, myself." Lily happily returned.

"Yeah, Lily and I started hanging out yesterday. She was kind enough to offer to give me rides home, since her class ends shortly before mine does."

"Wait, you're driving her?" Luka was confused. "Then why is Flower-"

Lily put her hand on Luka's leg, as if signaling her to drop the question.

"Luka," Lily shifted focus. "I saw Gumi earlier today. She wanted me to give you this."

Lily reached into her backpack and pulled out a folded-up piece of paper, handing it to Luka.

"I also think you should do what it says asap."

Luka unfolded the paper, revealing a poorly written note from Gumi. From what she could gather, it was an important message.

"luka, go hre aftr schl

303 katachi blvd

gumi"

The letter was telling Luka to go to some address, but it was not one she was familiar with. She knew were Katachi Blvd was, but she never had a reason to go there. She thought that it might be a party invitation from Gumi or something similar, so she tried not to think too hard about it.

"Well, guess I'd better get going." Luka grabbed her backpack and stood up. "I hope we can talk again soon, though!"

"Yeah!" Miku agreed. "I'm always here at this time if you want to hang out! Flower might be with me, too."

Flower huffed and went back to her phone. Luka gave Lily a look of unease, which was returned from the blonde.

"I'll see you soon, Luka," Lily saw the pinkette off. "We'll talk about club business sometime."

"Yeah, see you then!"

Luka headed out of the cafeteria and toward the bus stop like she always did once school was over, only she would be getting on a different bus this time. She tried not to worry, but why was it so urgent for her to get to this location after school? Could it have waited? These thoughts did bring some worry to her mind, but what was the worst that could happen?

Luka boarded the bus going east, bound for Katachi Blvd. Whatever Gumi wanted Luka to see, it must have been important. The bus was crowded, as it was the middle of the afternoon, so Luka had to stand. She did not like standing on the bus, since she could feel every bump and pebble that hit the tires. However, it was a necessary evil.

After a short time, Luka ringed up her stop. The closest one to Katachi. When she got off, she started to walk. She was not at all used to being in other neighborhoods, but it was hardly different from her own. The businesses and house designs were different, but it was the same general layout.

Checking every house she passed, Luka finally came across 303. It was a pleasant house, just like the rest. Nothing made it particularly stand out from the others, but Luka partly thought it looked even better than her own home. With a deep breath, she climbed the porch stairs and rang the doorbell.

After less than a minute, the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a young and pretty blonde girl, who gave a welcoming aura.

"Hello? May I help you?" the blonde girl asked, checking to see if she recognized the visitor.

"I guess. My name is Megurine Luka, I'm from Turito."

The girl's face lit up once she heard this. She opened the door all the way and motioned for Luka to come in.

"Please, Miss Luka, come in! Come in!"

Luka did not understand what was going on, or who this person was, but she did as she was told and entered. She took her shoes off at the door and followed the blonde into the house. From the inside, it was warm and humble. There were a few paintings, flowers decorating the place, and it was very clean. The blonde led Luka to the living room, and brought her to a chair to sit in.

"I knew you would be coming, so I made some tea. You stay there and I'll be back in a jiffy!" the girl went into the kitchen, leaving Luka to wonder while she sat in a stranger's living room. This person did not seem unfriendly, and she must have spoken to Gumi before. Still, Luka was nervous. Being in a stranger's house without a clue as to what was going to happen was not her ideal situation.

"I'm back." the blonde brought a tea set into the room and put it on the small table in front of Luka. She poured a cup for her guest, then sat down on the couch adjacent to Luka's chair.

"Thank you," Luka took the cup. "Sorry, but I was given very little information before being sent here, so I don't really know what's going on..."

"Oh! My apologies," the girl took a drink of her own tea. "My name is Rin. Kagamine Rin. I'm a friend of Gumi's, and, well, she told me everything."

"Everything? You don't mean..." Luka was hoping Gumi did not mention anything about her crush on Miku to anyone.

"I think so. I don't know how much Gumi told you, but... this is Miku's house. I'm her roommate."

Luka nearly spit out the tea she was drinking. If Gumi mentioned her crush to anyone, why did it have to be Miku's roommate?

"Gumi, why?" Luka asked the ceiling.

"Oh no, don't worry!" Rin reassured Luka. "I think it's fantastic! See, I've been hoping for Miku to find someone new for a while, and the way Gumi described you made you sound like a perfect fit. Miku and I have been friends since we were children. I love her to death, but she's made some really stupid decisions in her life. All I've been able to do is sit back and watch the fire, unable to help."

"You mean like with Flower?" Luka raised a brow.

"Mhm. I still remember when they met. It was so long ago, and I pleaded and begged her not to date her. She didn't listen to me. I was surprised the relationship lasted as long as it did, but... this year. This year, she asked Miku to marry her! I nearly had a heart attack when I heard Miku said yes."

"Is there something wrong with Flower?" Luka asked, curiously.

"Yes. A lot of things are wrong with that woman. She doesn't belong anywhere near my Miku. I don't like her, and she knows it. Miku knows it, and frankly, I don't think Miku likes her either."

"Has she done anything to Miku? Anything awful?"

Rin did not answer. She took a deep breath and sat back, taking another sip of tea. Hearing this hurt Luka's heart, but at the same time, Luka felt a little empowered. She did not want to say anything, for she knew her heart was biased, but Miku seemed like such a passionate soul. She did not deserve any negativity in her life.

"Luka, I feel that you're a good person," Rin continued. "Your aura is not the same as Flower's, and I trust Gumi's judgment. If you like Miku, then please pursue her. She will probably like you too."

"Thank you, Rin," Luka put her teacup down. "I'm not that impressive. Not very smart, athletic, social, or anything, but I will try."

"I'm begging you, Luka. Please take Miku away from Flower."


	3. The Threat

A few days passed since Luka had her conversation with Rin. She found it hard not to think about the fact that Miku was in a potentially dangerous relationship. Luckily for Luka, Tuesday came quicker than expected. This was the day she planned to head to the cafeteria and hang out with Miku.

"Please don't let Flower be there..." Luka said to herself as she walked to the cafe.

The place was loud and crowded, with the same old geeks playing their goofy card game and the couples showing their gross affection to each other. Luka was somewhat jealous, but kept going until she found Miku's table. Much to her delight, she was alone.

"Miku!" Luka joined her fellow club member.

"Oh, Luka! Hi there!" Miku greeted Luka with the smile she loved so much.

"How's your day going?" Luka did not sit down, almost afraid to get close to Miku without being awkward.

"Meh," Miku groaned. "Not much to say about it."

"Heh, same here. Say, if you're not busy..." Luka was about to pop a big question. "Do you want to hang out for a bit?"

"Of course! I have a few hours, we can spend them together."

Luka was ecstatic. She would finally be able to be completely alone with Miku. She could not recall the last time she hung out with a crush of hers, so this would be a new experience for her.

"Let's go somewhere else, though," Miku suggested. "This place is a little too noisy."

"Yeah, I agree. Do you have anywhere in mind?"

Miku was happy Luka asked. The twin-tailed girl took Luka by the hand and led her to the Turito College library. Luka was not sure where they were going, but it did not matter, because it was with Miku. After going into the library and climbing the stairs, Miku brought Luka to a row of bookshelves in the far back of the second floor. Behind the bookshelves was a small space, perfect for laying in and staying out of sight. Miku and Luka sat on the floor next to each other and enjoyed the space where they could be alone.

"This is a secret spot that Flower and I found," Miku explained. "Nobody ever goes back here, so we have complete privacy. I'm not a fan of crowds or loud noises, so I like to come here to have some time for myself."

Luka relaxed against the back wall, taking everything in and enjoying her situation.

"By the way, Luka," Miku continued to talk. "Rin told me that Gumi introduced you two. I think it's so sweet that my friends from different parts of life are coming together."

"Yep, Rin's a really nice girl. You picked a good roommate."

"I sure did. I've known Rin and Flower for pretty much my whole life. You and Lily are the first friends I've had in a while that aren't them."

"Speaking of which, Flower isn't here today?" Luka noticed. "She was there with you last time."

"Nope. I think she's mad at me." Miku looked ashamed.

"Why would she be? You're not someone to easily get mad at."

"She told me yesterday that she was sick of 'third-wheeling' with me and Lily. I think it's ridiculous, since I spend so much time with Flower every day, to the point where she even follows me wherever I go. But the moment I start hanging out with someone else, just for a little while, that's not okay. Even if she decides to tag along." Miku realized that she trailed off. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to go on a rant or anything."

"No, no, please feel comfortable to do so. It's good that you get it all out, and I'm here to listen." Luka sort of enjoyed seeing Miku get fiery for a moment.

"Thanks. I don't get to talk about my problems often. Flower never leaves me alone."

"Why are you even dating her? She sounds super possessive." Luka asked, not caring if she sounded rude.

Miku backed against the wall and faced forward, as if reminiscing. She then delivered her answer.

"It's not necessarily because I want to," a statement Luka was afraid to hear. "Flower had a serious crush on me when we were kids. One day, she confessed to me, and I didn't want to say yes. Rin didn't want me to, either. But..."

Luka swallowed hard and listened for the continuation.

"She told me she'd kill herself if I didn't date her. Every now and again, she reminds me. Even all these years later."

Luka's jaw dropped. That was one of the most cruel situations she could ever imagine being put in. How could any decent human being make such a demand?

"That's so unfair!" Luka did not believe what she was hearing. "You actually accepted?"

"I know, I sometimes regret it. I'm just too easily swayed..."

"I-I don't want to intrude on your love life, but should you really be marrying this woman? Are you even happy with her?"

"Not really... She's the only girlfriend I've ever had, so I don't know any different."

Luka exhaled and calmed herself. She knew Flower was bad, but hearing it from Miku's mouth was a major bombshell.

"It's sad, though. Someone as amazing as you deserves so much better."

"Aw, stop it, you..." Miku playfully punched Luka in the shoulder. "Anyway, sorry if I'm talking about myself too much. It's kind of mind-blowing to be talking to someone who isn't Flower or Rin."

"Like I said, don't apologize. I want to be someone you can come to about anything." Luka put her hand on top of Miku's. "You can count on me."

"Thank you, Luka," Miku kept her hand under Luka's. "We haven't known each other for long, but something about you is so inviting. I feel like I've known you for most of my life. I trust you."

"Miku... That's exactly how I feel. You have such a strong happy vibe, and I don't know how to explain it, but... I trust you, too."

Luka and Miku shared a quiet smile for a short moment, before Miku took her hand out from under Luka's.

"You know, Luka... You shouldn't be so careless with who you put your trust into." Miku's smile turned into a mischievous grin.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Notice how I brought you to this isolated area, where nobody can see us... Back here, nobody will be able to hear you scream!"

Miku pounced on Luka and tackled her to the floor, getting a shriek out of the pink girl. When Luka looked up and met eyes with the girl leaning above her, the two broke out into laughter. So this was Miku's playful side, which she finally showed to Luka, establishing the ultimate connection of trust. The two knew that this friendship was going to last.

The girls continued chatting for the next few hours, until Miku had to get to her next class. They exchanged phone numbers and bid each other farewell. Luka returned home that night, feeling warmer than she ever had before.

The following day, Luka checked her calendar. The music club had their second meeting that Thursday, which would give Luka the chance to see Miku again. These could turn out to be the best days of her life.

Luka plopped on her bed and cuddled her pillow, as if imagining it as Miku. Even with all the crushes of her past, none of them ever gave her this level of emotion. She wanted to be with Miku, she needed to be with her.

"Miku... Ugh, I love her so much..." Luka mumbled out loud, putting her face into the pillow.

Luka's fantasy was interrupted when her phone rang out the default text ringtone. She slowly turned over to her nightstand and grabbed her phone to see who it was. The text was from a number she did not recognize, and contained a single sentence.

"meet me outside the j building before 8 am tomorrow"

This was weird. Luka did not know the number, and the message lacked much information to go on.

"What is with people and this unnecessary subtlety?" Luka groaned and sent a text back.

"Who is this?"

About a minute later, a new text came through.

"youll find out tomorrow"

For some reason, Luka was disturbed by this. Even though it was over text, she was afraid to continue the conversation. She put her phone down and thought it through.

"Meet me? Tomorrow?" Luka figured it was probably another one of Miku's friends that Gumi tried to set her up with, but for some reason, the text made Luka uncomfortable. The syntax seemed cold and threatening. She tried not to worry about it, since she did not want to ruin her mood. Without another thought about it, Luka went about her day.

The next morning, Luka headed to school with Gumi, as was custom for her now. They were both excited for the upcoming meeting, wondering what plans Lily had for their club. Luka almost forgot about the text she received the previous day, and only remembered it once Gumi left for her class. Luka checked her phone, seeing that the time was 7:32. She had plenty of time to meet this mysterious person.

The J building had two entrances, but the one most people used was the one facing Keredo Street. This is where Luka assumed the message sender wanted to meet her. After standing by the door for a minute or so, she saw a hand around the corner of the building beckon her over. At least, she assumed it was referring to her. She cautiously approached the side of the building, trying to peek around the corner to see who this person was. Before she could make it out, two hands grabbed her and slammed her against the wall.

"Agh!" Luka shouted in pain.

"Don't scream, we don't want the attention." the aggressor holding Luka to the wall demanded.

Luka stared her attacker down, and knew she recognized this person.

"Flower? What are you-"

"Shut up! I know what you've been up to, pinkie. You're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, and I don't like it. I've already got enough trouble with that Lily, I don't need another one."

Flower pressed the squirming Luka hard against the wall.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about... Please let me go, you're hurting me!"

"Do I look like I care? I don't care if she's in this silly club of yours, I don't want you trying to get with my girlfriend anymore. She's marrying me, and that's final. You can't just come into our lives and try to take her away, who do you think you are?!"

"I don't know, please stop!"

"Are you going to try another slick move on my girl again?"

"No, no! I'm sorry!"

"That's what I thought..." Flower brought her face close to Luka's. "If you know what's good for you, stay away from Miku. She's not yours, and never will be."

Flower released Luka and shoved her to the ground, stomping away without another word. Luka caught herself before hitting the pavement, and called after her.

"That's all you have to say?"

Flower turned back.

"I've made myself perfectly clear. There is nothing left to say."

Once Luka was alone, she shook her head out and tried to comprehend everything. Flower actually threatened her, what would she do now? Telling Miku would likely make matters worse, but letting Miku stay with such a horrible person was also bad. Luka was backed into a corner.

Deep down, Luka was genuinely scared. Not only for her own life, but Miku's too. This happened so suddenly, after things seemed to be going so well. It was too much for her. Luka tried to hold back her tears as she rose to her feet and trudged to class. Today was the one day she wished she had nothing going on.


	4. I Love You

To say that Flower was a troubled woman would be an understatement. It is said that those who are raised receiving everything they want grow into possessive, selfish individuals. When they want something, they will do anything they can to get it. Once they have it, they will do anything they can to keep it. To a mind overpowered by selfishness, even human beings can seem like "it"s.

When someone is physically strong, it becomes that much easier for them to take what they want. Someone like Luka, who is emotional and much less athletic than Flower, makes an easy picking for these people. To Flower, Luka does not constitute as a "threat" to her. This raises the question as to whether Flower's attack on Luka was meant in seriousness, or for the purpose of boosting her own ego. Physical strength does not equal mental strength.

Luka nervously walked down the hall to the meeting room for the music club. She hardly paid attention to any lectures that day. Focusing on anything aside from fear was not possible.

The meeting was earlier than the first time, to better fit the schedules of the members. All four were expected to be there, but Luka did not want her friends to see her in the shape she was in. She had to fake that she was alright, or they would certainly question her. She delayed going to the meeting as much as she could, but soon sucked it up and slowly made her way over to it.

Gumi, Lily, and Miku were already in the room. Luka opened the door and poked her head in, attracting all eyes.

"Luka! You finally made it!" Gumi applauded.

"Any trouble finding the place?" Lily asked, jokingly.

"No, I've..." Luka stuttered as she walked in. "I've had a long day."

"Ah. Happens to the best of us." Lily checked Luka in for attendance in her notepad. The three were sitting at a small table Lily set up, with an empty chair next to Miku. Luka took this seat.

"Anyway, Lily's got big plans for us, Luka!" Gumi seemed more excited than usual, which was hard to accomplish.

"Right. Just before you got here, we were discussing something that I thought would be great for attracting people to our club and getting people involved."

"What's that?" asked Luka.

"We think that we should borrow the small theatre room downstairs and hold our own open mic night. It can be a chance for people to come in and sing whatever they want, just for fun."

"Hm, that sounds like a good idea." Luka would be a lot more excited on a regular day. An open mic night was the perfect opportunity to show everyone how she could sing, and to see Miku onstage as well. Maybe they could even do something together. Luka disposed of these thoughts quickly, remembering Flower's threat.

"Excuse me, Luka?" Miku spoke up. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What do you mean?"

"You don't look or sound so good at all. Did something happen to you?"

Miku was sounding like Gumi, being able to tell how Luka was feeling despite her attempts to hide it. Gumi was also giving Luka a concerned stare, even Lily joined in.

"We're all friends here," Lily explained. "We're here for you, you know."

"Yeah, cheer up, pal!" Gumi threw in. "Whatever's bothering you, we'll do everything we can to help out."

"No, no... No!" Luka was disturbed by the attention she was getting. She did not think she deserved it, since she was not the one struggling. "Don't worry about me! This isn't about me!"

"Luka, do you need to step out and go for a walk?" Miku asked compassionately.

Luka calmed herself. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry... Today really has taken a toll on me."

Surprisingly, Miku stood up and offered her hand to Luka.

"Let's go together. If you want to talk, I'm here to listen."

Luka kept back tears that were trying to escape from her eyelids. She could not refuse Miku, and she knew it would make her feel better. Luka took Miku's hand and stood, walking out with her.

"We'll be back shortly," Miku said to Gumi and Lily, before going into the hall with Luka.

The girls quietly walked down the hallway, hand in hand. Luka watched Miku from the corner of her eye, seeing the true concern in her face. She felt awful. The last thing Miku needed was something else to worry about. If she told Miku what Flower said to her, it would only make things worse for both of them.

After some walking, Miku brought Luka to a corner where they could talk in peace. Luckily, the halls were mostly empty, since it was during class time for most people.

"What's going on?" Miku asked. "I don't want to see you like this. I don't mean to intrude on your personal life, but I'm worried."

"It's... not that big of a deal. I'm just overreacting a little..." Luka rubbed her arm in nervousness.

"Your face and voice say otherwise. Even if you think you're overreacting, you shouldn't undermine your emotions. We're human, it's what we do. Don't be afraid to tell me what's wrong. I promise I'll understand."

Luka did not know why, but talking to Miku right there triggered her emotions even more than before. Now that it was all coming out, Luka's strength to fight her tears faded. With Luka's anxiety growing, she stumbled to get any words out.

"I-It happened this m-morning... I-I was... um, er..."

Seeing her friend was very much struck with grief, Miku took Luka's hand and held it tightly.

"It's okay. I'm here, take your time."

Luka swallowed hard and started from the beginning.

"Yesterday, I got a text from Flower telling me to meet her today... I, I went to meet her, and... and..." Luka did not want to say the next phrase.

"What happened? What did Flower do?"

"S-she grabbed me, and threatened me... She told me to stop talking to you, or something bad would happen... I-I didn't want to stop talking to you, but I was so scared... I didn't know what to do."

"Flower did that?" Miku asked in shock, followed by a sigh. "I was afraid of how she would react to me getting new friends. Did she hurt you? I swear, she better not have."

"Not too much, she just ruffled me up..." Luka sniffed. "I didn't want to tell you, I was afraid of what she would do."

"No, I'm very happy you told me. That's not okay, and I don't care if she's my fiancee, I won't accept her doing that to anyone. I'm sorry, though... This is kinda my fault. I told her about our hangout, and she must have gotten your number off of my phone. She's too overbearing for her own good."

"It's not your fault, it's..."

"Shh..." Miku put her finger to Luka's lips. "It's okay."

Luka's tears kept falling, so Miku continued.

"Everything is going to be okay. I'll make sure Flower doesn't come around here anymore. I've put up with her for six years, but the moment she hurts one of my friends, that's where I draw the line."

"Okay..."

"Still, it's strange. Why would she come after you instead of Lily or Gumi? She acted like she had it out for Lily, so I'm surprised it was you."

Luka had to say it. Whether it was the reason or not, she had to get it out.

"I... think Flower knows something about me... It's been going around from person to person, so she might have heard it, too..."

"What would that be? If you don't mind me asking."

This time, Luka definitely could not keep back her tears. They came flying out like waterfalls. She tried to speak, but she could not stop choking on her words.

"It's... uhm... I don't... I..."

Without warning, Miku put her arms around Luka and pulled her close. Luka pressed her face into Miku's shoulder and kept sobbing. Miku rubbed her friend's back and tried her best to comfort her.

"Take your time... Breathe. Breathe, and say it slowly..."

Luka did as she was told, keeping her face in Miku's shoulder. The green-haired girl held Luka tight, not knowing what to think, but only that she needed to be there for Luka. In Miku's shoulder, the words came out.

"I love you."

Miku, gently holding Luka by the arms, brought the girl in front of her.

"What? What did you say?"

"Miku... I love you. Ever since I first saw you, I thought you were amazing. Whenever I spend time with you, I'm filled with happiness that I've never had in my entire life. I knew this from the moment I met you, but I couldn't tell you, because I knew you were in a serious relationship. I just couldn't hold back anymore, and it slipped out..."

Miku herself was unsure of how to respond. This was huge and unexpected. Several people had confessed to her in the past, but Luka was different. The gentleness and fragility of Luka reminded Miku of herself. Over the years, Miku had learned how to hide her emotions and keep them inside. As she could see, Luka was more outward with them.

"Luka... that's so sweet. Again, I'm very happy you told me. You and I shouldn't have any secrets between us. Like you said to me the other day, you want to be someone that I can open up to. I want you to think the same way about me."

"So... you don't want our friendship to end?" Luka was slowly regaining control of herself.

"Of course not. If anything, this only brings us closer together. I promise, Flower will not hurt you. She likes to talk tough, but she's soft on the inside and doesn't want her weaknesses to show. That's probably why she treated me so poorly, to hide her own insecurities. I'll end it tomorrow, then you'll never have to worry about Flower again. Okay?"

Miku gave Luka the smile that always brought her spirits up.

"Okay. Are you going to be alright, breaking up with Flower? She's not going to hurt you or anything?"

"Hehe, don't worry. I'm not scared of her. I've put up with her for so long, she can't do anything to me." Miku patted Luka on the back. "And, about your confession..."

Luka was afraid to hear this.

"I think it's so sweet of you, but I'm going to need some time to recuperate after this breakup. We've been together for six years, so it's going to be a little rough. Let's just keep hanging out and having fun together, and we'll see where this goes. That sound like a plan?"

"Yeah, I like that..."

The answer was shockingly better than Luka expected. She definitely knew she would not hook up with Miku overnight, so the outcome of her sudden confession was probably the best it could be.

"Are you feeling better now?" Miku asked.

"Mhm... I can go back."

"Then let's go. Our friends are waiting for us."

Miku brought Luka into another hug. While in the arms of Miku, Luka felt that everything was going to be alright.

"She did what?!" Gumi did not believe her ears when she heard Luka's story on the bus.

"It'll be fine. Miku knows about it, and she said she'll take appropriate action."

Luka was telling the story of what Flower did to her that morning. She decided to leave out her confession to Miku, as that was probably best left secret for the time being.

"She better. I hope that crazy girl doesn't show her face around Turito anymore. Don't worry, Luka. Lily and I will make sure that you and Miku are kept safe!" Gumi looked proud, which was almost laughable to Luka.

"Miku's strong. I think she can handle dealing with Flower."

"What about you? Think you could take her on?" Gumi twirled her hair.

"No, I'm not even going to pretend I'm tough. Flower would kill me in seconds."

"You have a serious lack of confidence," Gumi had a blank expression. "But don't worry! The girls and I will fix that. Once Miku cuts it with Flower, that's your chance to dive in! But, ask yourself this. Will Miku be attracted to such a lack of confidence? You should work on improving it if you want to get in, and maintain, a relationship with her."

"Sure. I'll work on it." Luka found it easy to just agree. Gumi was right, she did need to build up her confidence, but that would take a long time. She was too far down to go all the way up on the flip of a coin. Either way, she knew that with help from her fellow club members, she would surely grow into a better person.

Word soon went around soon that Miku successfully dumped Flower. Like she had told Luka before, Flower did not show up at Turito again. As time went on, everything started to heal. The members of the music club continued to hang out and build their friendships whenever they had the chance. Luka and Miku grew closer than ever, and they knew this was the beginning of something good.


	5. Beginning Anew

A few weeks went by since the ordeal with Flower. The music club started to prosper, and the day of the open mic night was coming up. In the middle of the excitement, Miku and Luka started to spend a lot of time together. They started going places together, aside from school, they shared their deep secrets with each other, and they soon became so close that there was nothing to fear between them.

One evening, Miku and Luka went to their favorite restaurant, Utani Wanai's. The night was peaceful and pleasant, and the two greatly cherished each other's company. As they walked to Miku's home at the end of the night, they made idle conversation. The brisk air brushed against them under the moonlit sky, setting the perfect mood for the friends.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Luka asked, gazing at the sky. "Being here together."

"Yeah," Miku agreed. "I really do like spending time with you."

Luka could vividly remember seeing Miku's face for the first time. She never believed in love at first sight before then, and perhaps even questioned her own feelings because of it. But enough time passed, she had gotten to know Miku, and she knew that there was no possible way her instincts were wrong. Luka's crush on Miku never went away, but she always thought it wise not to bring it up. She was even worried sometimes that Miku would forget. As frightened as she was to confess to Miku, now that she did, she never wanted Miku to forget. Especially because that would mean confessing again, which Luka never wanted to go through a second time.

Luka basked in the moment, wanting the walk to go on forever. Even walking through the streets in the dark of the night, she felt perfectly safe with Miku around. They were in their own world, away from the dangers of planet Earth. Every worry that Luka had, her classes, tests, loneliness, they were all gone. Everything was Miku now.

Unfortunately, the walk did not last forever. The girls eventually arrived at Miku's house, where they would be parting ways.

"Thank you for walking me home," Miku thanked her friend. "But, are you going to be okay going the rest of the way by yourself?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Luka assured Miku. "I've ridden the bus alone at night many times."

"Okay." Miku only slightly turned for her house, before looking back at Luka. "Uhm, Luka..."

"Yes, Miku?"

"Do you still like me?"

Luka's eyes widened. She did not expect such a question, even with the pleasant mood of the night. Miku had been reluctant to mention anything about it in the past, but she had not forgotten. Luka wondered why she would bring up such a thing right then, but answered honestly.

"Yeah, I do... I never stopped."

There was a short pause.

"Then... do you want to give it a try? You and me?"

Kaboom. Luka's heart must have stopped for a second, only to come back faster than ever before. She could not have misheard that, Miku definitely asked if she wanted to date. She thought it might have been a joke, but it was said so seriously. There was only one thing she could say.

"I... would love nothing more."

Miku smiled at Luka, as she always did, and took small steps toward the pink-haired girl. Luka only heard the sound of her racing heartbeat until Miku stood directly in front of her.

"Then that's that. It's us, Luka."

As if it came naturally to them, the girls closed their eyes and moved their faces close to one another's. They each brought their lips closer, and they slowly met. The two shared a passionate kiss, where they could both feel the warmness and love inside each other.

The kiss lasted for about a minute, and the two moved their faces back. Luka always heard that staring into someone's eyes could give you a view of their soul. If this was true, she was gazing into the most beautiful soul to ever walk the planet. Perfection. Nothing about Miku was wrong, and finally, they were together.

After a comfortable silence, the girls parted with a single 'farewell' and went their separate ways. Luka rode the bus home, knowing an emotion she was sure she never knew before. Happiness.

Gumi took a big gulp of her carrot juice and reclined on the couch. Next to her, Luka sat with her hands in her lap, thinking hard about something.

"I poured that glass for you, ya know." Gumi pointed to the cup of carrot juice on the table in front of Luka.

"Hm? Ah, yes. Thank you, Gumi."

Luka picked up the glass and took a drink. She had never tasted carrot juice before, and did not know what to expect. The taste met her tongue with surprise, forcing her to hold back from gagging.

"It's great, isn't it?" Gumi chirped. Luka gave a mere nod and put the cup down. "Anyway, something on your mind? You've been spacing out a lot since you came over."

Aside from hanging out with Miku, Luka also spent a good deal of time at Gumi's house. In a less romantic way, Luka saw Gumi as a great friend who would always be there for her. After all, Gumi helped her build her relationship with Miku. Luka owed a lot to the orange girl.

"Oh, that's right!" Gumi remembered something. "You were hanging out with Miku last night, weren't you? How'd it go? Tell me everything!"

Gumi's knack for telling exactly what Luka was thinking in every situation was admirable, even as annoying as it was sometimes. However, Luka was unsure if Miku would be okay with her telling others about their relationship. As it was only a day old, she was still cautious of anything that could happen.

"Something good happened, huh?" Gumi beamed.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Luka said, smugly.

"Yes, I would! Tell your old pal Gumi what happened!"

Gumi entered Luka's space as if she owned it. She knew something happened between Luka and Miku, and she wanted to know.

"Okay. We... had a very fun night."

"Yes, how so?"

"We... said some personal things to each other."

"Aw, come on!" Gumi whined. "When it comes to secrets, you can always tell at least one or two friends. What fun is keeping it to yourself?"

"Well, if you really want to know... We kissed."

Gumi gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth in disbelief.

"Y-you what?! You're kidding! Stop pulling my leg, Luka! Tell me what happened!"

"I am. At the end of the night, maybe everything was just perfect, but... she told me she was ready to give me a chance. Then we did it."

"Awww, I'm so proud of you!" Gumi squeezed Luka into a tight hug. "I knew you could do it, buddy. You and her are going to be perfect together, I can tell."

"Heheh, thanks Gumi. It's still early, and we haven't really seen each other since last night, so I don't know if it's safe to call it a relationship yet..."

"Give it time. You've proven now that you can do anything you set your mind to. Words can't describe how proud I am. Just a month ago when I met you, you were so timid and closed off. Now, you're out of your shell and making magic happen!"

"Am I, though?"

Luka did not think she changed much since the last month. Her personality was the same as it always was, she just jumped on a given opportunity.

"You bet. The air around you has gotten so much brighter." Gumi returned to drinking her carrot juice.

"I guess I owe it to you, Gumi. You really helped me out a lot."

"That's so kind of you to say, Luka, but I didn't do it. You did. I may have given you a boost, but it was still your doing."

"You don't have to be so humble, Gumi." Luka took another drink, disregarding her previous distaste for the juice.

"Look who's talking. But I do hope Miku takes good care of you. If she doesn't, be sure to let me know..."

"Haha, you know she's not like that."

"Who knows? I'll admit, I am a little jealous of her..." Gumi got Luka's attention.

"Hm? Why?"

"Oh, nothing. You just keep being you." Gumi turned red and finished her drink.

Thursday came, another day of school. Luckily for Luka, she had a four day break from classes at the end of every week. This was enough motivation for her to get through her three lectures that went on for hours. Once that was done, she was free to go.

On the way out, Luka started for the cafeteria to see Miku. However, the girl in twin-tails intercepted her halfway.

"Found ya!" Miku jumped behind Luka, startling her girlfriend.

"Whoa!" Luka turned around to see Miku. "Miku! You're not in the cafeteria."

"Nope," Miku giggled. "I'm not going to my next class today. Something more important came up..."

"What happened?"

"Hmhmhm... I decided that I'll put my priorities first. How would you like to come over to my house for the night? Rin's staying at her friend's for the next few days. We'll be all alone."

This idea excited Luka. The chance to be alone with Miku in her house was something she could not pass up. Not to mention, Miku took a class off for Luka's sake.

"That sounds fantastic. I'd love to."

Hand in hand, Miku and Luka took the bus bound for Miku's residence. Miku had not ridden the bus in a while, but doing it with Luka made it much safer. After some riding, they got off at their stop and walked the rest of the way.

"It sure is funny being here without Rin." said Luka as Miku led her in.

"You're telling me. I've been living with her for ages." Miku and Luka took their shoes off and headed to the living room. Miku's house was much different to Luka than it was when she first arrived. Rather than fear and uncertainty, she was now filled with happiness and safety.

"Anything I can get for you?" Miku asked as she sat Luka down on the couch.

"Nah, I'm good."

"I don't believe you. I'll be back with the snacks!" Miku skipped to the kitchen, leaving Luka on the couch to await her return.

Luka relaxed until Miku returned with a tray of cookies and tea. She placed them on the table and plopped on the couch beside Luka. The girls scooted close to each other and struck up a conversation.

"So, Luka, what do you think about cats?" Miku asked, cutely.

"That's a pretty random question." Luka laughed and took a cookie.

"I'm serious, though," Miku grumbled. "I think they're adorable and cuddly."

"I think they're silly, like you." Luka put the cookie into Miku's mouth, which surprised her.

"Mh!" Miku swallowed the cookie. "I'm not silly! What are you going on about?"

"Are you kidding? You're the silliest person I've ever met."

"No, I'm not silly, I'm... perfect!"

Miku was being too adorable, Luka could hardly contain herself.

"You're so silly, you might as well be a cat." Luka teased.

"Humph." Miku picked up a cookie. "Well, I think you're the silly one!"

Miku put the cookie in Luka's mouth before the pink girl could say anything.

"Gotcha!" Miku giggled. "Now gimme a taste."

Miku put her mouth on the other side of the cookie, face to face with Luka. The two slowly ate the cookie until their mouths came together in a kiss.

"Mmm..." Luka enjoyed Miku's lips much more than the taste.

After a few seconds, they broke apart.

"Whew, that was a good cookie." Miku said without a care.

"What?!" Luka expected Miku to say something about her. "Well, if you like them so much more than me..."

Luka took another cookie and went to put it in Miku's mouth, but the green girl swiftly snatched Luka's wrist and held it firmly in place.

"Got you again! You won't be forcing any cookies into my mouth anymore!"

Luka had to stop thinking. Miku grabbing her in such a way stimulated something inside her mind. Her girlfriend's strength and ferocity was on-turning, for lack of better term.

"You're really aggressive. You know that, right?" Luka recalled all of Miku's playful attacks on her.

"Hmhm, maybe I am. That comes from being in a relationship for so long where I barely had any control. I guess the feeling of power is that much more enjoyable to me." Miku boasted.

"Is that so? That's... cute."

"And I know you, Luka."

Miku released Luka's arm and moved even closer to her.

"I guess I've always been the type to change personalities to fit the people around me. With you, Luka, you're so innocent and harmless. I want to protect you, I don't want anyone to harm my Luka."

Luka smiled. These words from Miku were some of the best things anyone had ever told her.

"Not to mention," Miku continued. "Gumi told me about your little fetish."

"Huh, what?" Luka's smile died.

"The handcuffs, hehe."

"Gumi, why?! She actually told you?!" Luka covered her face.

"Don't worry, I think it's cute." Miku put her hand on Luka's back.

"You think so?" Luka peered up.

"Mhm. But, since we're on the topic, I have to ask you something..."

"Anything, Miku."

Miku's bright expression turned into a serious one.

"Luka, when did you realize you had a crush on me?"

"That? Er, I believe when I first saw you. I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd had ever seen, and I only grew to love you more over time."

"So, when you first met me, the only thing you liked about me was my appearance before knowing my personality?"

Luka became worried as to where this sudden topic was going.

"Uh, no! Not when you put it that way! You just had a... good 'aura' around you..."

"Physical attraction is a valid reason to fall for someone. The reason I bring this up is because... that's how I felt when I first saw you, too."

"You did?"

"Yes. Don't get me wrong, I grew to love you personally too, but when I first saw you, your body... It was so..."

Miku was getting into a strange mood. Luka did not know what to expect, but her questions were answered when Miku put her hands on her legs.

"Luka, I want you."

"Wha-? What do you mean?"

"You... I want every bit of you. Every inch of Megurine Luka... I want it to be mine."

Luka slowly started to understand what Miku was saying.

"Is that so?"

"It is. Luka, I have to ask you..."

Miku got extremely close.

"Will you let me have you?"

That night, Miku took Luka into her bedroom. The mood was so right, they both would have felt like fools to have missed it. The desire they had for one another was too strong. Being together, alone in the house, brought something out in them. The girls stripped from their clothes, slightly watching each other as they did so. Luka was incredibly nervous, having never done such a thing before. At the same time, she had nothing to fear. She and Miku had established ultimate trust.

Once they were ready, Luka sat on the bed in preparation. Miku approached and took Luka by the arms, slowly lowering both of them down on the bed. Their bodies touched, and they embraced each other's warmth. Miku leaned down and whispered into Luka's ear.

"I love you too, Luka."

On that night, Luka became Miku's.


	6. The Blood-Stained Box

Tuesday. Sunny day, full of possibility.

At Turito College, the music club was planning for a big open mic night on that day. The club members had finished their classes and headed to the theater room in the J building to set up. Lily, the club president, invited her friends Yukari, Lapis, and Miki to help out. The other members included secretary Gumi, vice president Luka, and treasurer Miku. Recently, a love bug bit Luka, who fell for the gorgeous Hatsune Miku. With help from the girls of the music club, Miku was able to break up with her possessive girlfriend Flower, and after a month, started a new relationship with Luka.

Luka and Miku's relationship was only eight days old, but they were happy. They were certainly not taking things slow, but everything was going well. With such a fun event coming up, everyone was in high spirits.

Luka paced around campus before heading over to the theater. She was nervous about the event, but continued to talk herself up. Now that she was with Miku, she wanted to do everything she could to make a good impression. Showing any signs of nervousness or lack of confidence would likely be a turnoff. She needed to shine.

After her walk, Luka went to the theater room, where Miku was already sweeping the floor with Yukari.

"Hey Miku! Hey Yukari!" Luka greeted her friends.

"Hi there... Luka, right?" asked Yukari, who had only seen the pink girl once before.

"Yeah, she's a fellow club member." said Miku.

"Ah. Nice of you to be here, Luka!"

Luka pouted at Miku's explanation.

"I thought you and I were much more than just 'fellow club members.'"

Miku rolled her eyes and continued sweeping.

"So," Luka changed the subject. "What's going on? Can I help out somehow?"

"Uh... I don't think there are any more brooms. Lapis, Gumi, and Miki aren't here yet, but Lily's doing some papers in the booth. Maybe you could ask her?" Yukari suggested.

"Alright."

Luka headed for the booth that overlooked the theater. It had a small window where the stage was visible, and was full of electronics and paperwork. Lily sat on a stool in front of a desk, where she filled out several slips.

"Hey, Lily." Luka entered and observed the room around her.

"Hey, Luka!" Lily looked back. "It's good to see you."

"I just got here. Is there anything I can do?"

"Eh, let me think..." Lily searched around from where she sat. "I'm handling these, I think I got Miku and Yukari doing the sweeping... Oh, yes! Backstage, we have a lot of junk. A bunch of boxes need to be moved into the storage room, we'll need space for our performers when they're waiting to go on. Think you can start on that? You can take some of the lighter stuff, and I'll send some people to help out when they get here."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Lily."

Luka did as instructed and headed to the backstage area. She learned very quickly that Lily was right. There was a ton of junk laying around. Most of them were in boxes, but a lot were pieces of metal or other things that Luka didn't even know the purpose of.

"Gee, what were people using this place for before us?" Luka asked aloud before testing several boxes for weight. She was not the strongest of people, so the lighter boxes were her best bets until more people came.

One by one, Luka carried several small items into the storage room, which was even less organized and messier than backstage. The theater did not get much use at Turito, so it was likely full of stuff that was waiting to come out.

After a while, Gumi, Lapis, and Miki flooded in. With everyone present, the work went much faster. Lily ended up sending everyone backstage to deal with the heavy lifting. Once Miku and Yukari finished sweeping, they joined in.

"Lot of cool stuff, huh Gumi?" Lapis was paying more attention to the items than moving them.

"Yeah, we could do all sorts of things in this theater! Why hasn't anyone used this space before?"

Soon, the small items were all out of the way, but the heavier boxes remained.

"Is there a way to make this work go any faster? I'm sure there's more stuff we have to do." asked Yukari.

"I believe we have a dolly in the closet over there." Miki pointed out.

"Now is no time to be playing with dolls!" Lapis barked.

"No, I mean a dolly as in the little wheeled thing used for moving. We could probably put some of the heavier boxes on top instead of struggling to carry them all the way."

"Oh, those things. I always called them little forklifts."

"That's a great idea, Miki!" Gumi commended her. "You use that, I'm going to go see if Lily needs any help."

Gumi skipped off, leaving the rest to handle the backstage work.

"Looks like she wanted to get out of heavy lifting." Yukari chuckled.

"Well, let's get a 'move' on!" Lapis punned, but was met with silence.

After getting the dolly, the girls proceeded to load it with stuff. A large box on the bottom, two smaller heavy boxes in the middle, and the smallest one on top.

"It looks a little wobbly. Maybe we should take it slowly." Lapis suggested.

"Right," Luka agreed. "I'll push it from one side and make sure it stays stable."

"I'll watch it from the other side. This looks like it'll wobble quite a bit." Miku stood on the opposite end of the box stack, as Luka got ready to push it.

Gradually, Luka and Miku moved the dolly toward the storeroom. The uneven flooring gave a little difficulty, but it seemed to be going well. As far as Luka could see, nothing on her side was wobbling too much. The biggest concern was the small box on the top.

Luka maneuvered the boxes over a slight tilt a little too roughly, giving Miku's side a major bump. Luka hardly noticed, until she heard Miku shout.

"Luk-"

 **Bam!**

The box had fallen. That much Luka saw. It did not fall on her side, but on Miku's side. What Luka did not see was that the box landed directly on top of Miku's foot.

When Miku lowered to her knees, Luka and the other three rushed over to see what happened.

"Miku, I'm so sorry!" Luka made for her.

Miku looked to Luka with pure anger in her face.

"Stand back, Luka! Don't get near me! I'm fine!"

The box's contents were strewn about the floor, and Miku started to pick them up.

"I'm sorry, Miku!" Luka kept her apology going. "I can help, real-"

"Just go!" Miku snapped, the angriest Luka had ever seen her.

"Miku, I can-"

"Just go, Luka!"

Miku had never raised her voice at Luka before. In fact, she hardly raised her voice at all on the daily. Luka could see Yukari, Lapis, and Miki glaring at her. The three looked as if they were staring down a murderer. Luka's cheeks started to wet.

"I-I didn't mean it..."

Covering her face, Luka ran out of the theater. The shame of what she had done, accompanied by Miku yelling at her, was too much. Luka was emotional, there was no doubt about that, but this left a mark.

Luka ran to a nearby bench and threw herself on top of it, ashamed to even look at the area that surrounded her. The simple fact that she caused Miku pain was enough to bring out the tears. Luka wanted to leave the planet, to never show her face again. In the back of her mind, she had a thought that said she was overreacting, but if that was true, why was she unable to stop crying? Why did she feel so bad?

Luka did not know how long she spent crying on the bench. Time ceased to exist. It was not until she heard Lily's voice that her concentration was broken.

"Luka?"

Luka rolled over to see Lily, with a face red with sadness.

"Leave me alone, Lily." was all she could say.

"Luka, come walk with me." Lily took Luka's arm and brought her to her feet. Luka wiped the water from her face the best that she could, and walked down the hall alongside Lily.

"Tell me what happened." Lily spoke in a calm tone.

"It's stupid... You wouldn't understand."

"It doesn't matter if I understand. What matters is that you're upset, and I want to know why. Nobody should be sad today, especially not a good friend of mine. Please, tell me what happened."

Luka managed to choke out the words.

"M-Miku and I were moving a bunch of boxes, and... we stacked them on a dolly, but I wasn't careful enough and I... I accidentally dropped a box and... it landed on Miku, and she yelled at me..."

"Miku yelled at you? That's strange," Lily processed what she heard. "It was probably in the heat of the moment. I'm sure she wasn't trying to attack you or anything. Don't you get angry when you're in pain too?"

"Yeah..." Luka sighed. She knew Lily was right, but could not convince her mind that.

"I hang out with Miku a lot," Lily kept going. "She thinks very highly of you. Sometimes, you're all she ever talks about. She would never try to hurt you or make you upset. Sometimes, unexpected things happen."

"I know. I just want to convince myself that."

"You might need some time. Nobody likes to be yelled at."

Lily and Luka continued their walk until they returned to the theater.

"Do you want me to talk to Miku?" asked Lily.

"I don't know... I don't think I want her to see me like this."

"She could probably clear things up with you. I'm sure she'd understand. Wait here, I'll send her out." Lily gave Luka a hug and went back into the theater. Luka returned to the bench, feeling just as empty as before. She did not want to talk to Miku, and she did not want Miku to see her in such a condition, but her tears kept falling.

Luka waited for a short while, until Miku came out behind her. Luka tried not to make eye contact, hopeful that Miku would not see her crying.

"Luka... are you okay?" Miku sat on the bench next to her girlfriend.

"Yeah."

"That's not what Lily told me. Look, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm not out to hurt you, it was just a moment. An instance of 'there's a box on my foot.' It wasn't super serious anger. I don't want you to think I was trying to attack you."

"I'm sorry, Miku..."

"It's okay, Luka. Accidents happen. Let's go back inside, we're supposed to have fun tonight."

"Okay."

For some reason, Miku seemed colder than usual. Luka went back into the theater with her, finally getting a grip. After that, the afternoon continued as normal. The girls worked to clean the area and set up the stage. Lily brought out several decorations to be hammered into the back wall of the stage. Luka and Yukari were tasked with this job. It was simple, but Luka could not let go of her uneasiness, and had trouble focusing.

"Luka, you doing alright?" Yukari asked. Luka didn't even think she was coming across as upset.

"Yeah, don't worry." Luka took a hammer and went to bang a nail into the wall. She was hardly paying attention.

"Luka, be careful!" Yukari shouted, followed by a loud bang.

Luka missed the nail and slammed the hammer into her finger. As painful as it was, Luka clenched her teeth and avoided letting out any outbursts of pain. From across the room, she could see that Miku saw everything. The last thing she needed to do was mess up something so easy after what she did earlier.

"Luka! Are you hurt?!" Yukari rushed over.

"Nope. Perfectly fine." Luka said through clenched teeth.

Less than an hour later, Luka was given the job of taking a stack of papers to the desk outside the theater, where Lily would be giving admittance. Even with her lack of focus, this was something Luka could not mess up.

With the papers in hand, Luka climbed the stairs to the door, only to miss a step and trip. All of the papers flew out of her hands, and she fell to the floor atop the stairs. When she got back up and staggered to seize the papers, she once again saw that Miku was watching from afar.

"Ohh... why can't I stop messing up?" Luka moaned to herself.

"Luka, are you okay?" Miku went to help Luka gather the papers.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You've been having a bad day, by the looks of it. Do you need to go home or see someone?"

"Miku, I'm fine..." Luka snapped defensively.

"Why are you whining?" Miku snapped back. "Are you four?"

Luka faced the floor and stopped talking. Nothing she could say would make her situation any better. Miku took Luka by the hand and led her to the door.

"Let's talk. I think you need some air."

Miku brought Luka outside the building, where they sat on the steps in front of Keredo Street. After some silence, Miku spoke.

"You're not happy. I can tell something is bothering you."

Luka took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Miku... Everything I've done today, I just can't stop messing up. I'm making a fool of myself in front of you."

"In front of me? Is that what's got you so worked up?"

Luka nodded.

"Luka, you don't need to worry about pleasing me all the time. I don't care that you make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes. You should focus more on yourself and less on trying to please others."

Luka did not say anything. She had nothing to say. She felt awful, and it was eating away at her. Since Luka was not talking, Miku asked a question.

"Are you going to stay?"

"I'll stay. I'll try to keep it together."

"You've been through a lot today. If it's going to be too taxing on you, you should probably go home."

"I-I think I can handle it."

"Okay. Just know, I'm only saying this to you because I care, and I know you."

Luka did not say anything more. Miku stood and went to open the front door.

"You can come back in when you're ready." Miku went inside, leaving Luka outside with her thoughts.

Luka put her head to her knees in sorrow. Eight days into their relationship, and she was already ruining it. Her first relationship ever, too. She was almost certain that she would be single again by the end of the night. This situation made it hard for her not to judge herself. If this was how her first relationship went, especially this far after maturity, what did that say about her as a person? After a few more minutes, Luka went back inside. She didn't want to be alone.

The open mic night did not have a spectacular turnout, but the few people that showed did great. Neither Luka nor Miku performed. Even as fantastic as some of the performers were, Luka did not enjoy the show. She sat hidden in the back until it was over, then she sneakily tried to make her way out. In her attempt to remain unseen, Lily stopped her.

"Uhm, Luka..."

Luka looked to Lily, but did not provide a vocal answer. Lily showed that she truly felt Luka's sadness, and wanted to do everything she could for her friend.

"Come on. I'll give you a ride home."

That was all the blonde girl said, before gently taking Luka by the arm and leading her to the doors. Luka sniffled and forced herself to stay strong, as Lily led her out.

"It'll be okay. Don't worry."

The next two days were nothing but regret. Luka feared how Thursday would go, when she would see Miku again. She believed that any sane person would dump her after her reactions to Miku, but was praying that to not be the case.

That Thursday morning, Luka received a text from Miku. The pink girl was terrified to open it, knowing what the contents could very well be. When she read the text, it said:

"When you get out, please come and see me at our secret place."

On most days, Luka would love to get such a message. Today was not one of those days. Dark clouds were covering the skies, as if to set a horrible foreshadow of what was to come.

That afternoon, Luka headed to the library. Up the stairs, to the bookshelves, and to the secret area that her and Miku hung out in. The green-haired girl was already there, waiting for her on the floor.

"Please, sit by me." Miku motioned to the spot on the floor next to her. Luka did so, almost trembling.

"Hi, Miku."

"How has your day been so far?" Miku asked, almost in the same way she always did.

"It's been alright. The usual monotonous lectures on sciences and all that."

"Hehe, same here..." Miku's gaze traveled away. "I saw a bird on my way over here today. A bush warbler. I've never actually seen one before, but I've always heard their calls around town, and they've always given me peace. Even in the saddest of times."

Luka swallowed hard and nodded along.

"I don't think I've ever seen one of those... Are they beautiful, like you are?"

"I wouldn't say so. They're cute, but beautiful wouldn't be the right word."

Miku's gaze returned, and her colorful expression faded into gray.

"Luka... I asked you to come here because I do want to talk to you. I know you're not going to like it."

With the sudden mood change, Luka knew what she was about to hear.

"This whole dating thing... I don't think it's going to work out." once Miku said this, Luka held her head low. She could not look at Miku for the rest of the statement. "What happened Tuesday, it was just... I told you once before that you and me are different, but alike in a similar way. We're both fragile, but our ways of conveying our emotions are completely different. You're the type to express them openly, while I'm the type to keep them inside. I can always tell how you're feeling, and I don't think I can be there for you when you have trouble. After years with Flower, I've ridden on many emotional roller coasters. You're on such a high level, and it reminds me too much of those times."

"But, Miku..." Luka spoke. "I can get better. Really, I can..."

"It's not that simple, Luka. You are who you are, and it won't work with someone like me. We're too different, and I thought it might be worth giving a try, but it won't work."

"But... I love you..."

"I know."

Exactly as Miku was saying, she could not show the pain as she gave Luka these words.

"I should go..." Miku got ready to stand up.

"N-no, please!" Luka begged. "Please stay... I don't want to be alone..."

"I'm sorry, Luka. I'm sorry I had to do this to you, even after we... did that. I really do like you as a person, and I think you'll make an amazing girlfriend to someone someday. It just can't be me."

Luka understood everything. She did not blame Miku, but she did not want to lose her.

"I'm so sorry, Miku... I promise I can get better, though..."

"Goodbye, Luka."

Miku left on that note. The meeting went almost exactly as Luka expected. She was, once again, on her own.

Megurine Luka returned home, not saying or thinking anything. Perhaps her mind entered a level of depression incapable of shedding tears. Maybe the fact had not yet settled in with her. Maybe this was a nightmare. After a ten-day relationship, it was over. With nothing left to think, Luka went to bed, and cried.


	7. Help Me, Gumi

"There, there... It's okay..."

Luka cried endlessly into the chest of her dear friend Gumi. Her recent breakup was plaguing her, and she paid a visit to her best friend's house for comfort.

"Guumiiiii..." Luka blubbered.

"Shhh... shhhh, it's okay." Gumi kept her arms around her friend, trying to console her. "I'm here, don't cry..."

Luka wished she could stop. She was utterly destroyed by her relationship failure. It gave her a negative outlook on herself, and everything she could have done differently.

"I-if I only hadn't dropped that box!" Luka yelled, crying loudly some more.

Gumi and Luka were on the couch in Gumi's living room. They had spent so many hours there watching television, talking about life, eating snacks, and other things together. This was the first time the cushions were wet with tears.

"We all make mistakes, Luka. If she wasn't willing to forgive you, then maybe it's best that you don't hook up with her."

"But I love her! I love her so much it huuurts..."

"Shh... I know..." Gumi gently stroked Luka's back. Seeing her best friend like this almost made her want to cry too, but she had to stay strong. She had to be there for Luka.

Both the events of the past few days, as well as Luka's own inner troubles contributed to her despair. Ever since she joined the music club, Luka made a display of herself as an emotional wreck to the other members. At least Gumi was understanding.

When she started to slow down and regain her breathing, Luka pulled her head away from Gumi's chest. The green girl did not take her hands off of her, even as she pulled away.

"You feeling better? Did you get enough out?" asked Gumi.

"I think so... Gumi, I'm sorry..." Luka wiped her eyes.

"You apologize too much. Don't apologize for letting your emotions out. I'm happy to help."

Gumi let go of Luka and rose from the couch.

"You're welcome to stay with me as long as you want to. I appreciate having you here."

Gumi was sounding a lot less upbeat and goofy than she normally did. Her tone was warm and almost protective.

"Thank you, Gumi... I'd like to stay for a while longer."

"Of course, my friend. You're in good hands here." Gumi giggled and started for the kitchen. "I'll make some tea. I know you didn't care much for that carrot juice."

Luka relaxed and kept wiping her eyes. She knew that touching them so much would probably be harmful, but she couldn't help it. At least, for the first time in her life, she had someone to go to when she was down.

Gumi and Luka spent the rest of the day together. They drank tea and watched TV, as they always did. While their favorite show, Wai-tu-Wai was on, Luka felt something touch her hand. Without turning her head, she stared down to see that Gumi had put her own hand on top of Luka's. Luka managed a smile, and let it be. The day flew by and the evening fell. The two decided to order a pizza and played a few card games with each other. For that night, Luka forgot her pain. Gumi was a true friend.

It rained Saturday. Luka's mood was back and forth all week, but getting Miku off of her mind was impossible. Luka dropped by Utani Wanai's for dinner. She rarely ever ate out on her own, since she was surviving on student loans and money sent from her family across the country, so she hated spending money she didn't have to. But that afternoon, she had a craving for ramen and sake. Not the instant kind.

To Luka, being depressed was a good reason to treat herself. Given her financial situation and concern for keeping her figure, she did not eat much every day. So when she found an excuse to eat, she gladly took it. The typical patrons chatted at the bar, while Luka sat alone at a table in the back. Luka was old enough to drink, but she never did while out with Miku, who was still slightly too young. She figured that was why she craved sake so much.

"Gumi's old enough to go out drinking with me." an intrusive thought entered Luka's head.

"Wait, what?" Luka asked out loud, having no idea where that thought came from. "I can't think things like that. What am I doing?" Even though it was over, Luka's heart still belonged to Miku. She held out hope that she would one day convince Miku to give her another chance.

Luka slurped her noodles in silence. She wished she had someone to talk to, but being on her own was nothing foreign to her. The restaurant was never that noisy, but it was still hard to ignore the conversations happening around her. The occasional "Did you see the game last night?" and "Gloomy weather today, huh?" and rabble like that. Despite her loneliness, the yummy ramen filled a sad hole in her heart.

"At least I can enjoy myself on my own, too."

Luka took a drink of her plum sake. She held it to her mouth much longer than she probably should have, but she wanted to savor the taste. To forget about life for a while. However, her brief flash of happiness was interrupted by something she did not want to hear.

"It sucks, doesn't it?"

With the utmost caution, Luka lowered her glass to find herself staring straight at Flower. She put the glass on the table, and did not say a word aside from:

"Flower."

Flower was standing in front of Luka's table, watching her as she drank. The white-haired punk let out a sniff and invited herself to the chair across from Luka.

"Hello, Luka. You picked a fine night to go out, let me tell you."

"What are you doing here?"

"I got as much right to be here as you. I come here a lot, myself."

Flower raised her hands to the table, revealing two uncapped bottles of beer. She put them on the table in front of her, and slid one to Luka.

"Come on, drink with me." Flower sneered intimidatingly.

"We're not friends, Flower. Kindly get away from me."

"Don't be like that, pinkie. We both got dumped by Miku, so let's revel in our similarities rather than fight about our differences. Let's drink to singularity."

Luka shrugged and picked up the bottle. She actually disliked beer, but didn't want to argue about something so silly. Flower held her bottle to toast to Luka, which Luka hesitantly accepted. The girls drank, then locked gazes. Flower's eyes were somewhat reddish, and unusual.

"I still can't respect you," said Luka. "Not after how you treated Miku."

"You think? If it went for six years, I must have been doing something right." Flower sniffed and took another drink.

"Using dirty tactics."

Flower put her bottle down.

"Luka, Luka, Lukaaaa... Romance works in mysterious ways. I'm sure Miku told you a great deal about me, and Rin too. Still, that's all opinion. I know Miku. I know what she wants, what she neeeeds. I've known her for much longer than you, and even you can't deny that."

"Longevity doesn't mean anything. Actually, that makes it even worse, because you didn't realize how bad you were all this time."

Flower snickered and went for another sip of beer.

"You're a sub, right?"

"Uh... What does that have to do with anything?"

"As you should know, Miku is the type that needs to be protected. You're not the type to do the protecting, meaning your chances with Miku were low from the start. I'm surprised you're even sad about losing her."

"But, how do you know?"

"It shows, painfully. Also, she told me about your little time together."

Luka tilted her head.

"She told you? Wait, you're still on talking terms with her?"

Flower chortled and stood up, giving another sniff and chugging the rest of her beer. Once she finished, she put the bottle back on the table.

"Piece of advice, pinkie. If you want to stay good with Miku, you should probably stop seeing me as the bad guy."

Flower rubbed her nose and turned around.

"See you around." Flower waved behind her and made for the exit. Luka was left at the table, restless after what she heard. Running into Flower wasn't something she expected, or wanted, to happen at Utani Wanai's. Still, she wondered what Flower was going on about before she left.

Luka finished her food, left a tip, and headed home in the rainy night. As much as it tried to overtake her, Luka pushed everything Flower said out of her head for the time being.

Rin nervously paced around the living room, quivering with a cup of tea in hand.

"Thank you for inviting me over, Rin," said Luka from the chair she knew so fondly. "But, what's the occasion?"

Earlier that day, Rin texted Luka asking to meet her at her and Miku's house. Luka had not spoken to Rin since the breakup, so it frightened her a little to face the blonde. Surprisingly, Rin greeted Luka with a smile and was not upset with her, as far as Luka could tell. Something else was troubling Rin, and Luka was dying to know what.

"I don't know what to do. I really don't know..." Rin dropped to the couch and tried to take a deep breath.

"What's wrong, Rin?" asked Luka. "I'm here, you can talk to me."

"I'm sorry, Luka, I'm a mess right now." Rin tried to drink her tea to calm herself.

"Is it because of something I did?"

"No, no! Please don't think that! You did all you could, actually..."

Luka looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"... I wanted to talk to you. This is something you would want to know. That's why I had you come over. I have to tell it to you, face to face."

"Calm down, Rin. You're making me anxious."

"I'm so sorry!" Rin fell off the subject again. "I'm... scared. This is about Miku. I'm not mad at you, though. Not at all."

"Miku? What do you mean? What's happened to her?" Luka was super anxious now.

Rin sipped her tea, then put it on the table in front of her. She regained her composure, and spoke more calmly to Luka.

"It's not your fault. I know what happened on the open mic night, and Miku's always been like that. A fear of fragility, a love for the sense of danger. Dating you didn't give her the 'excitement' she wanted. Miku can be best described as 'heavily reliant.' She needs to be in a relationship all the time, and she needs to rely on her partner for a lot of things. If she's not relying on a tough, overconfident person, she doesn't feel whole. You're a great person, Luka, but she didn't think she could make it work with you. I'm so sorry..."

"So, what are you saying?" Luka prepared for a punch.

"Miku's back with Flower."

Luka threw a book against the wall and shouted in frustration.

"Agh! Why, why why?! Why did this happen?! Nothing can ever go right!"

"Luka, please relax..." Gumi pleaded from the couch. "If you keep throwing my stuff, you might break something."

"Why is she with Flower?! Why? Why?"

"A relationship of six years is hard to get over," Gumi sat up. "Especially a codependent one. You get used to relying on someone, so it's hard to let it go when it's over."

"What about when she said I reminded her too much of her time with Flower? That's so hypocritical!" Luka threw a lampshade at the wall.

"Hearts are weird, Luka. She's doing what she's used to doing. If she likes danger, then she's going for danger. Simple as that."

"But Gumi!" Luka went over to her green friend. "Flower is not a good human being! Have you seen her? Have you spoken to her?"

"I know all about her. She's got a lot of problems, but still. Love is blinding, Luka. Now I'm going to have to ask you to sit down and control yourself."

Gumi became more stern than Luka ever saw her become. She did not have a hint of jest in her as she said this. Luka complied and sat beside Gumi.

"I know you're upset, but you're above this," Gumi continued. "You shouldn't get angry over something you have no control over. Miku is a complex person. If she's not the one for you, you're better off without her. She's not even your type."

"But, Gumi... I love her."

"Sometimes, love isn't enough."

Luka fell back on the couch and groaned, unable to believe anything that was happening.

"Gumiii, Flower doesn't deserve her! You know that's an unhealthy relationship!"

"Yes, but won't it work itself out in the end? If Flower doesn't change, she'll leave her again."

"But, what if she can't? What if Flower seriously threatens suicide, or threatens her?"

Gumi sighed.

"I don't know. Whatever happens, we have to pray for the best."

"We have to convince her to leave her!"

"This is not our place!" Gumi finally snapped. "Getting back together with Flower was her decision! This isn't entirely about Flower, it's about Miku's feelings, too!"

"Gumi..." Luka whimpered. She hated being yelled at, and Gumi was someone she could not see yelling.

"Luka, I know your pain. I really do," Gumi cooled down. "We can't do anything about it. We have to let Miku make the decision. You want her happiness, don't you?" Luka nodded, completely quiet. "Then let her do what makes her happy. I'm not saying I agree with her, heck, I think it's awful that she replaced you as quickly as she did. I still think the reason she dumped you is ridiculous, too. I think she's a great friend, but I question what goes on in her brain a lot."

"You're right," said Luka. "But, I can't stop thinking about it. About her."

"Then, maybe it's time to stop thinking about her."

Luka looked Gumi straight through the eyes.

"You want me to stop thinking about her?"

"Yes..." Gumi replied, but started to back down on what she said. "You know, maybe... find some other things to think about..."

"How am I supposed to forget her? What other things can possibly take her place?"

"She was quick to replace you. I know there are 'other' people that would love so much to be with you. So much..."

Gumi faced her knees as she said this, as if hiding a personal secret. Luka shook her head and rose off the couch.

"I should go. I've caused a lot of trouble here today..."

"No, wait!" Gumi shot up after Luka and grabbed the girl by the arm.

Luka stopped dead in her tracks. She recalled when her and Gumi were handcuffed together, and her love of being overpowered. Something about Gumi's grip was... incredibly strong.

"Gumi..." Luka went back to the couch with Gumi, and moved in closer to her. "Hold me."

"Wha-huh?" even Gumi was confused.

"Just... hold me." Luka laid against Gumi's chest, the same way she did when Gumi comforted her. "I need it..."

Gumi soon understood the message, and put her arms around Luka. She was taken off-guard and surprised by this sudden request, but she enjoyed having Luka in her arms.

"Gumi... you've always been so kind to me..." Luka somehow lost control of herself. She was absorbed into Gumi, hypnotized by her grip.

"You deserve kindness, Luka." Gumi stroked the girl in her hands. "I want to protect you. I want to do everything I can to make you happy."

"I-I think I'm a lot like Miku... I don't think I can handle being on my own..."

"If that's so, then feel free to be yourself. I can take care of you, if you want..."

Even after all the hugs Gumi gave Luka in the past, her passionate hold was enrapturing. Could this have been affection at its highest?

Without any further words, Gumi and Luka let actions do the talking. Luka brought her head up to see Gumi's amorous gaze. For as long as they knew each other, Luka never considered the thought of dating Gumi. But at the same time, she was not opposed to it. This friend of hers gave so much to make her happy, and Luka was grateful.

Gumi gave a light nod, as if she knew what Luka was thinking, which was usually the case. Luka moved her head up a little more, and soon, the lips of the two girls met.

"Guess I've always had a thing for green-haired girls."


	8. I Belong to You

Gumi's hand stroked Luka's body from where she laid. The two basked in each other's warmth in the bed, laying together. Gumi planted little kisses on Luka's cheeks, before reaching her mouth.

Luka submitted to the one holding her down. Gumi's strength was unparalleled, and she was more than happy to be victim to it. When the night heated up, Gumi whispered in Luka's ear.

"You're all mine."

The pink girl's heart raced with excitement. At first, she did not know what that night was going to amount to, but it was clear to her now. Gumi pressed herself against Luka, and gently pointed to the nightstand beside the bed. On top were a pair of handcuffs that Luka recognized. Luka gave a nod of assurance, almost with a begging look. Gumi smiled sadistically and reached for the cuffs.

About two weeks prior, Gumi and Luka started dating in secrecy. It started as a comfort session for a friend in a bad state, but evolved into something new. Although Luka was still warming up to Gumi, she enjoyed being with her. They were more comfortable keeping their relationship a secret from everyone else, so as to not draw attention after Luka's breakup with Miku.

It was a bumpy start. When Luka broke down, Gumi held her. The establishment of protection and security drew Luka to the green girl. They knew each other decently well beforehand, so hooking up was a natural transition. The biggest problem they faced was going from friendship to romance. They decided to take it slow, but after the first week, their troubles died down and they grew comfortable with one another.

Gumi cuddled her cuffed girlfriend with all her passion. With her soft and tender voice, she said:

"I love you. I won't let you go..."

A good amount of time passed in between music club meetings. There was not much need for a new club with only four members to be super active in their first semester. This was also going to be the first time Luka would see Miku since their ordeal. With luck, there wouldn't be any bad blood, but it would likely be awkward.

Luka came early for the meeting, as she liked to do. She heard that Lily would be running late, so she expected to be the only one there. On the contrary, Miku was already in the room when Luka made it.

"Miku?" Luka gradually stepped in.

"Oh hey, Luka!" Miku gave her usual smile, which Luka missed seeing. Considering the upbeat welcome, Luka assumed things must have simmered down.

"Hi, Miku. You're early."

"You are, too. What are you getting at?" Miku giggled.

"I'm always early. I can't say you are, though."

"Psh. I can be early when I want to be."

Miku was in a good mood, so Luka thought it best not to mention their relationship. Maybe everything would be fine and they could forget about it.

"By the way, Luka, I heard you met Flower at Utani Wanai's the other day."

Or not.

"Yeah, it was a minor exchange."

"I hope she didn't try to fight you or anything. I know you two don't like each other... I'm sorry if she gave you any trouble."

As much as Luka wanted to rat Flower out, she honestly had little to use against her in this case.

"Don't worry about it. We just had some banter and that was it."

"Please, don't be afraid of her. She won't hurt you, really. She just likes to talk big, it builds her ego."

Luka paused.

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"You're back together?"

Miku did not reply. She broke eye contact with Luka and faced the floor.

"Miku?"

"It is."

Luka wanted to openly detest this, but she knew it would only make things worse. She went over to a chair and sat, before asking another question.

"Why?"

"A mochi is soft and pleasant. You cannot tell the sweetness of one by the outer appearance alone. It depends on the flavor, and you must bite into it if you want to know. What shows on the outside can be deceptive. A dark and sticky mochi could, in actuality, taste sweet. In a way, humans are the same."

Luka looked puzzled at the expression. Miku explained.

"My mother taught me that a long time ago. It's been my philosophy ever since. I think it applies perfectly to Flower, who is aggressive and mean outside, but soft and sensitive deep down. I'm the one that brings it out of her. She told me that, herself. I can't give up, I have to keep trying to bring it out."

"You think you can change her?"

"... I think it's worth a try. I've depended on Flower for so long, it would be impossible to let her go."

"I see." Luka wanted to drop the subject immediately. She still wanted to be friends with Miku, and worried that insulting Flower too much would hinder that.

"Don't think I don't like you, though! We can be friends, if you're okay with that." Miku said, perfectly timed.

"Just be friends?"

"Mhm. It's all we gotta do."

Luka accepted this.

"I want to be your friend. I really do like you."

"Then, let's put our past in the past. We can only move forward together." Miku returned to her smile.

"I guess we can face the world together, even without the girlfriend title."

"Exactly. Romance isn't everything. We can still have fun together."

Luka didn't show it, but her heart broke more and more with every word. It was as if Miku was condemning her to a life sentence in the friend zone. On the other hand, she wanted to count her blessings, because she was at least in close contact with Miku. If romance wasn't an option, she would take friendship.

"Speaking of," Miku continued. "We need to hang out again sometime. It's been a while."

"Yeah, I've been... short on money. Trying not to spend a lot."

"Oh, do you need a job?" Miku lit up.

"Well, now that you mention it..."

Luka did need a job. She hardly ever left the house, and her payments were always tight. She was also growing tired of her uneventful lifestyle, aside from the classes she was taking, which could hardly be considered eventful. Earlier that year, and since she moved to Hesutachi, she spent most of her time job-hunting. They always turned her down for lack of experience.

"Why? Do you know of anywhere?"

"You remember Yukari? Turns out she's a manager at Hatotapi's, one of my favorite stores. She got me a job there a few weeks ago, and I bet we could get you in, too. They're on the lookout for applicants."

"Hatotapi's? I suppose, if you can... But don't feel bad if you can't."

"Great! We'll definitely be able to get you a job there. They like me already, and Yukari has a lot of push."

Hatotapi's was a music store with a variety of merchandise to go with it. It was widely considered a store for people into darker, heavier music, so it was odd to hear that Miku worked in such a place, but it was probably because of Flower. Luka did not care for the type of music herself, but a job was a job, especially if she had references.

"Thanks, Miku."

"Anytime."

Luka and Miku talked about random topics until Gumi and Lily showed up. With the end of the semester on the horizon, they did not have much to plan or talk about. The meeting was generic, but it was nice to spend the afternoon with friends. **Friends.**

Getting a job at Hatotapi's was surprisingly easy. As Miku said they would, she and Yukari pushed for Luka to be hired. Luka lacked experience as a sales associate, but she was willing to learn. On her first day of training, Yukari was eager to teach.

"It's great to have you on our team, Luka." said Yukari. Luka assumed it was an obligatory statement.

"It's great to be here. Thank you for the opportunity."

Luka's uniform was a black t-shirt with the Hatotapi's logo on it. It was casual enough. Her position was easy to do, and allowed breaks. As unsociable as she was, Luka had no problem with putting on a good personality for customers. It was a lot like performing to her. It was a good beginner's job, so most people working there were younger than Luka and Miku, still in high school.

Coming from someone who had a hard time building the courage to talk to her friends, Luka dealt with customers surprisingly well. The hours flew by quickly while talking to them, but Yukari had to help with some of the more advanced tasks, such as finding certain sections and using cards. Yukari assured Luka that she'd "get the hang of it" and the day went on.

When the busyness slowed down, Luka and Yukari were able to breathe. Two hours passed, and everything was going smoothly.

"You're doing great, Luka," Yukari complimented. "You have an excellent voice, your presence is welcoming, so on. You're a perfect fit for this position."

"Thank you so much, Yukari." Luka chuckled. She didn't think much of it, it came second nature to her somehow.

"Things are pretty tame right now. If you want, you can take a break in the backroom. I think Miku's on hers now, too." Yukari said with a smile.

"Thank you, Yukari. I'll be back as soon as possible."

Luka ambled over to the break room. The stereotypes about working in retail didn't seem to be true, but it was hard to judge on the first day. The room had a circular table, a vending machine, a microwave, a refrigerator, a coffee maker, and a backdoor. The one thing that was missing was Miku.

"Hm. Guess she's not on break." Luka thought. She strolled around the small room, without much to do. She played around on her phone, but she was not the type to stay on it for too long. She hardly posted on social media to begin with, since she never did much that was worth sharing. It took less than five minutes for Luka to grow bored. She decided to poke her head out the backdoor and see if anybody was out there.

Outside, there was a small piece of parking lot overlooking a street. Katachi Blvd was within walking distance in that direction. It was a sunny day, but the weather was getting slightly colder, given the soon season change. Sitting next to the backdoor, on a curb, was Miku. She held something small in her fingers, which she pulled from her mouth.

With further inspection, Luka saw that the object in Miku's hand was a cigarette. She knew many people that smoked, but Miku was not the kind of person to. She never even mentioned it before.

"Miku." Luka said loudly and went over to Miku.

"Luka!" a surprised Miku looked as if she was going to hide the cigarette, but realized it was futile.

"Are you... smoking?" the question did not need to be asked, but somehow Luka needed affirmation.

Miku sighed. She knew she was caught.

"I didn't think anyone would come out here. I guess telling you I'm holding it for a friend would be meaningless."

"You never told me you smoked. When did you start?"

"..." Miku was silent. "It keeps me calm."

"Calm? From what, the work?"

"Just... calm. Don't worry about it, Luka. This is my problem to overcome." Miku put the cigarette back to her mouth.

Miku was always happy when Luka saw her. She never seemed to have problems that ate away at her. Luka remembered Miku's words, "We're both fragile, but our ways of conveying our emotions are completely different. You're the type to express them openly, while I'm the type to keep them inside." Now she had to question if Miku had a little "help" keeping her emotions inside. Luka moved close to her friend, pushing the smoke away from her own face.

"Is this all you do? You don't do anything else? Nothing worse than smoking?"

"Luka, please. Don't worry about me. My problems are my own to overcome. I never told you because I didn't want you worrying."

"Miku, I hope you know... I'm always here if you need someone to talk to. You don't have to do this. I'll always be here."

Miku's expression stayed the same while she inhaled more smoke.

"Thank you, Luka. You really are a sweet person."

Luka's words alone would not be enough to curb Miku's potential addiction, but now Luka was motivated to do everything she could to be the best possible friend for Miku. She had a gut feeling as to where Miku's troubles were coming from, but did not say anything about it.


	9. Tis the Season

_Note: Despite the story being told in English, the events take place in Japan. It is safe to assume the language being spoke is Japanese, and you are reading an English translation. When a line in English is being spoken, it will be denoted by a * symbol._

After a seemingly endless year, the semester at Turito College came to a close. The season of winter swept the country, and everyone was looking forward to spending the holidays with their loved ones. In Japan, Christmastime was a time of love and sharing the day with the people close to you.

"Gumi, I can't see!" Luka complained.

"Keep going! Trust me, I'm your eyes." Gumi led her girlfriend into her house from behind.

"What are you planning? Is this another one of your roleplays or something?"

"Just keep going! You'll love it!"

When Gumi and Luka reached the living room, Gumi removed her hands from Luka's eyes. At first, everything looked normal, until Luka noticed something new in the middle of the floor.

"Tada! It's a kotatsu!"

In the center of the living room was exactly that. A cozy little kotatsu, an electric warming table covered by a futon. Luka did not know why Gumi was so excited about it, but she played along.

"Goodness, it's amazing!" Luka appeared to be astonished. "I've never seen one of these in person before."

"Like it? I bet you don't even know what it is!" Gumi saw through Luka's guise and giggled.

"I know what it is, but I've never actually used one. My family was never one to completely divulge in Japanese culture, and we had heating in our old house. I see them on television all the time, though."

"Yep. I was inspired by the holiday episode of Wai-tu-Wai and decided it was time to pull this out. It may not seem like much, until you actually use it! Then you'll never want to leave."

"You mean to tell me that these tables are actually cool and not just overly glorified by fiction?" Luka had a joking tone, she actually was interested in trying it out.

"Okay, Miss Skeptic," Gumi shot back. "Let me show you the magical wonders that lie within this heating table."

Gumi took Luka by the hand and carried her over to the kotatsu. Gumi gave the signal for Luka to slip under the futon.

"Come on, get in," Gumi encouraged. "You've never used one of these before, so you're welcome to it for the rest of the day. You won't even have to move."

Luka shrugged and did as Gumi asked. She wanted to experience the hype for herself, and partake in something that was closely related to the culture of her home country. Once she got under the fired up kotatsu, it took a minute or so for it to feel like anything. However, once it started to warm up, Luka understood exactly what Gumi was talking about.

"Oh my gosh... this is so comfortable..." Luka relished the heat of the table.

"Isn't it? I thought it'd be nice for us to have. Not that we can't warm each other up on our own, hehe." Gumi pranced over to the other side.

After enjoying their mini sauna for about ten minutes, neither of them wanted to leave. The heat was so welcoming after being out in the cold weather.

"Still think it's overly glorified?" Gumi quipped.

"I see what you mean. I wish I grew up with a more cultured family." Luka returned.

"Isn't it true that your father is from America?" Gumi asked, on that note.

"Yeah, I spent some time over there when I was younger. Believe me, the winters here are nothing compared to over there. They could probably use a kotatsu or two in an American household."

Luka's father was born and raised in the United States. He moved to Japan in his thirties and met Luka's mother, who would go on to have children. Luka occasionally went to the US to visit her father's side of the family with him, but she preferred Japan, due to its more peaceful setting and cultural background.

"I heard that the holidays are a lot different in America, too." Gumi added.

"Definitely. Christmas is the biggest and loudest event of the year. I spent every Christmas in the US with my father's side of the family, until I went away to college. Now I just spend every year on my own."

"Hey, we're in the same boat!" Gumi agreed. "I've always spent the holidays on my own. So at least we have each other this year!"

Luka did not expect that. Gumi was so easy to get along with, it was hard to believe she spent so much time on her own.

"Gumi, what about your family?" asked Luka. "You don't talk about them much."

Gumi kept a straight face while she answered.

"I... never really see them. My parents were so focused on raising me to take care of myself, that they hardly paid attention to me. I moved out when I was in high school, and have fended for myself since. They don't really keep in contact, but I know they're thinking about me."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that."

"Oh, no!" Gumi tried to stop Luka from getting sad. "It's okay! I don't mind. I've been facing the world without backup for so long, it comes naturally to me. When life threw hardships my way, I just smiled and kept moving. Treated everyone I met with kindness, tried to be friends with everyone, which didn't always work, but I tried. Yes, there were times I wanted to cry. Times I felt lonely, where I just wanted to curl up and stop existing. But I overcame them, and kept going. Now I got you, and everyone else at school. I was patient, and happiness finally found me. I'm not alone anymore."

This speech sounded familiar to Luka. Gumi's past was not ideal or easy to deal with, but she kept her struggles inside and put on a cheerful appearance to fight the world. Gumi was just like Miku.

"I'm... happy, Luka." Gumi's speech continued. "I'm happy I found you."

"I'm happy too, Gumi. I'm happy that I could help you."

"By the way, I just realized something!" Gumi switched the mood of the conversation on the dime. "You have an American family! You must be an expert on English!"

"Hm, that? Oh, yes. I got a little head start on learning English alongside Japanese."

"English was always my worst subject, please teach me!" Gumi begged from across the kotatsu.

"It's complicated, I don't know how I would teach it..."

"Come on! Just tell me some basic phrases! I want to broaden my foreign knowledge!"

Seeing Gumi's enthusiasm, it was impossible for Luka to resist. She nodded her head and thought of the first phrase that came to mind.

*"Hello. My name is Luka Megurine. It is so nice to meet you."* Luka said flawlessly.

"Oh! Let me try!" Gumi recognized the phrase and wanted to repeat it. *"He-ro. Mai naimu isu Ruka Megurine. Itisu sooo naisu tu michu."*

Luka held in laughter. Gumi's attempt at the foreign language was too adorable.

*"You are good at English."* Luka gave Gumi another sentence.

*"Yu aru gudo ato E... En... En-gu-ri-shi?"*

"Come on, you know the word English." Luka teased.

"English is hard!" Gumi complained. "How do you make it look so easy?"

*"I am a bilingual master."* Luka giggled.

*"Ai amu a b-bai... bai rin gu... bai rin..."*

"Okay, that sentence is a little hard. If you want to learn, we'll start from the basics." Luka cut Gumi off before she could no longer contain her laughter.

"I don't even know if I want to anymore..." Gumi pouted, "But, there is one phrase I want to know."

"What's that?"

"How do you say 'I love you' in English?"

"Oh, that's a little complicated..."

"I wanna know!"

Luka knew Gumi was asking for a direct translation, and she was willing to give it to her.

"Okay... *I really like you."*

 _Note: The actual phrase for "I love you" in Japanese is not frequently used, as it is considered by many to be too strong. Most people prefer to use the term for "I like you." instead._

*"Ai... Ai riri raiku yu..."* Gumi tried to say. "That's hard!"

Luka chuckled, before remembering something.

"Well, in English, there is one other phrase they like to use. It's a little easier, but it's kinda strong."

"I'm a strong girl, I can take strong words! Lemme have it!"

"Okay... *I love you."*

Gumi cracked a smile, as if she heard it before.

"That's an easy one. *Ai wa- ra- rabu yu."*

Luka's laughter finally came out. Gumi's English attempts were too much for her to handle. She was laughing so hard, she failed to notice when Gumi sank beneath the futon. Luka's laughter came to an abrupt end when she felt something grab her from the kotatsu and pull her under.

"Yah!"

Luka screamed as she was dragged into the inferno beneath the table. The thing that pulled her under and was now looming over her was none other than Gumi. Beneath the heater, the futon, and the table, Gumi stared down at Luka and looked her straight in the eyes.

*"I love you, Luka."*

With that, Gumi pressed her lips against Luka's. The heat of the kotatsu was intense, but neither of them cared. They were as cozy as could be.

At another shift at Hatotapi's, Luka and Miku listened to a short lecture from Yukari. Business was going slow, but that was soon to change.

"... With the holiday season right around the corner, prepare for this place to become a madhouse!" Yukari warned. "Only the strong will survive."

Miku and Luka hardly followed along, but knew the gist of what Yukari was saying. While it was true that their store would be busy, that also meant bigger paychecks for them.

"Anyway, this end of the year is sure to be a blast," Yukari jumped to a different subject matter. "The holidays are always a ton of fun at Hatotapi's."

"I'm really looking forward to it! It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside to see people in such high spirits." Miku bounced.

"Me too," said Luka. "I can hardly wait."

"You girls got any big plans for the coming days?" Yukari inquired.

"Yep. Flower and I are going to be spending it together," said Miku. "We're planning to go see the Christmas lights. I'm not sure about what else we're doing, but Flower is one for surprises."

Luka held some jealousy inside her. She should have been used to Miku constantly spending time with Flower, but she was not. However, she also had to remind herself that she was taken. She couldn't let her old feelings for Miku override her current ones.

"How about you, Luka?" asked Yukari.

"Me? Well, I guess I'll probably spend it with Gumi."

"You and that girl spend an awful lot of time together," Yukari said with suspicion. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were dating."

Luka and Miku both got a chuckle out of that. After all, that idea seemed silly to the others in their friend group. Luka was unsure about keeping the relationship secret for much longer, but did not want to tell anyone without Gumi's permission.

"Imagine that," Luka returned to her normal state. "Me and Gumi."

"I think you two would be cute," Miku responded. "She's a good match for you."

Something about her former crush telling her to date someone else sat awkwardly with Luka.

"Maybe. Who knows?"

The following days were busy at Hatotapi's. As expected, the pay was substantial. The month went by quickly, and the day of holiday celebration came. The night before, Luka scrolled through her phone under the kotatsu at Gumi's. She had been spending more time at her girlfriend's house than her own. Gumi was in the kitchen preparing food for the event.

While scrolling through social media, she saw a post from Miku's account. It was a photo of her and Flower standing gleefully in town in front of the Christmas lights. In spite of Flower's naturally aggressive face, they looked happy together. Luka shook her head, but did not scroll past the picture.

"Luka, is something wrong?" Gumi came from behind. Luka lost track of how long she was morosely staring at her phone, so her attention was caught.

"No, just looking at posts."

"That's Flower and Miku, huh?" Gumi asked, calmly.

"Yeah... They went to see the lights."

"I see..." Gumi headed back for the kitchen. "Don't be jealous. We'll have a great day together, the two of us. The best Christmas yet..."

Luka saw Gumi wipe something from her eye. She thought of something for a brief instance, but it perished fast. Luka could not help but wonder:

Was Gumi talking to her?


	10. Another Year on the Rise

New Year's Day was widely considered a day of laziness. Luka had some time off before going back to school, and as much as she wanted to make the most of it, she also wanted to see her friends every day again. This year would be harder, since their schedules would be different than the previous semester.

Luka's three classes were Philosophy, Astronomy, and Algebra. She needed at least one mathematics class, so she picked the easiest possible one. It wasn't so much that she was awful at math, she just preferred not to think a lot. These classes went deep into the day, so she would have to organize for music club meetings to be later. But, she did not want to think about school on a day off.

While relaxing under the kotatsu, Luka's phone atop of the table buzzed. Taking a bite of her mandarin, Luka checked to see a text from Miku.

"Happy New Year, Luka!" followed by a few cute emojis.

Luka smiled and texted back. Miku remembered to give Luka her greetings, which brought joy to Luka's heart. Still, she knew she had to be careful. Giving Miku too much thought was not healthy.

The day after New Years, Luka returned to work at Hatotapi's.

"You're early. We don't open for a little over an hour." Yukari noticed as Luka came in.

"I figured I'd get here as soon as I could. I'll make the most of it until I need to have my hours switched again."

"Yeah, that's right. School's starting soon, so we'll lose a lot of seasonal workers. We'll be a little understaffed, but it can't be helped."

"Maybe I can work full time if I drop out."

"Making life sacrifices for this job? Sounds like someone's hunting for a promotion." Luka and Yukari laughed, and proceeded to set up shop. After some time, a cheery Miku entered.

"Hey Miku," Luka said from behind the counter. "What brings you here?"

"I work here, silly." Miku playfully slapped Luka's arm.

"Right, I forgot."

"Sure you did," Miku joined Luka behind the counter. "Anyway, I have some big news."

"What's that?"

"Later this week, I'm going to try for a driver's license. I feel bad making Flower and Lily drive me everywhere, so I'll use Flower's car and get places on my own."

"Really? That's amazing!"

Luka tried not to pay any mind to the fact that Miku was around Flower enough for Flower's car to be readily available.

"You should try for your license, too!" Miku encouraged her friend.

"No thanks, I'd rather make you drive me everywhere."

"Hrn..." Miku made a grumpy face. "Well, I will! You'll be the one relying on me!"

"Isn't that how our friendship has always been?" Luka didn't even deny it.

"I guess so, but still. Why don't you try? You wouldn't have to take that crowded, smelly bus everyday."

"I did try. Before I moved here..." Luka started to remember.

"Oh..." Miku realized she touched a nerve, but her curiosity took precedence. "What happened?"

"I thought it would be easier than it was. When the instructor got in, and every movement had to be so precise... it just overwhelmed me. I had a panic attack when the instructor raised his voice, and I failed."

"Luka..." Miku gave her friend a hug. "I'm so sorry to hear that..."

"It's okay. I spent a few days crying afterwards, but it was long enough ago for me to get over it. But I wish you luck on yours!"

"Thanks. I'll get it on behalf of us both!" Miku proudly stated.

"Heh, this is why we're friends."

Fortunately, Miku passed the test and received her driver's license. Later in the month, the semester began at Turito. Lily made sure to register the music club much earlier in the year than before, giving them plenty of time to make plans. The day of the first club meeting was sure to be great.

Early in the semester, Luka started to regret her class choices. She could not follow a single word in Philosophy, Astronomy was unexpectedly complicated and full of equations that hurt her brain, and Algebra was, well, math. All three classes dragged and felt as though they were decades long. On the bright side, it gave Luka more incentive to look forward to the club in the coming month.

When the first club meeting came, Lily and Luka walked to the room together.

"So, Miku got her license? Does that mean you and her haven't been hanging out as much?" asked Luka.

"Not at all," replied Lily. "We just have more options for the designated driver now."

"Does Flower still join you?"

"Ugh, no. I think I made it clear to her that I don't like her, so she stays away."

Luka was envious of Lily's strong personality. Able to tell someone off and actually have them leave her alone.

"Maybe I really am an easy picking..." Luka thought.

Once inside, Lily pulled out her paperwork and notes. After a few minutes, Gumi skipped on in.

"Hello, my friends!" Gumi proclaimed.

"Hello Gumi, so glad you could make it." said Lily.

"I bumped into a couple people on the way, thought you might be interested in seeing them..." Gumi backed away from the door as if giving a dramatic reveal.

Lapis and Miki came walking in, waving to the others inside.

"Hello, music club!" said Miki.

"I thought I'd give it a try this year. The vehicle club was getting boring." added Lapis.

"Lapis, Miki!" Lily got excited. "We have new members this year!"

"It's great that you could join us!" said Luka.

"What exactly does this club entail?" asked Miki, taking a seat.

"We never really got to do much last year," answered Lily. "We're definitely trying for more this year, but we're going to discuss things and come up with ideas."

"That sounds fun!" said Lapis. "Group collaboration!"

While the two new members were getting adjusted, Miku joined them. Along with Miku was Yukari.

"Hello! I see we have new members." Miku went to greet everyone.

"Hey Miku," greeted Lily. "Yukari, are you joining us too?"

"That I am." said Yukari. "Figured I'd give a club a try for once."

"We're so happy to have you," said Luka. "It's definitely going to be more crowded this year."

"Yeah, and we have one more member coming in." Miku sat next to Luka and Gumi.

"With this many people, we'll need to really crack down on stuff this time." Lily chuckled.

"It's almost like we're a normal club!" Gumi put her arms around Luka and Miku.

Luka enjoyed only having four members, but she welcomed the change. The chance to hang out with more friends and learn more about each other was one she was open to.

"Who wants to be a normal club, though? Let's be unique!" said Lapis.

"Of course! That's why I said almost."

"By the way, Miku," asked Lily. "You said we have one more member? Do you know when they'll be here?"

"Yeah, she should be on her way. She only just registered here this semester."

"Ah, someone who wants to build their education. I admire that." Yukari smiled.

"But, who is it?" asked Luka.

Luka's question was answered almost immediately when the newest member walked through the door. Luka's heart dropped when she saw the newest addition to the club. The same dark attire, the same smell of cigarettes and alcohol, the same smug appearance.

"Flower."


	11. Miku's Secret

In a new year of Turito College, the clubs were up and running within three months. With springtime in the air, positivity was everywhere. At least, it should have been. The music club meetings were interesting, to say the least.

The original members all returned for the second semester. Luka, Gumi, Miku, and Lily. They were also joined by their friends Yukari, Miki, and Lapis. They also had a newly enrolled student; Miku's girlfriend and Luka's sworn enemy, Flower. Luckily for Luka, and most of the other members, Flower did not talk much. She spent most of the meetings on her phone, almost as if she did not want to be there. It made Luka think, but she did not question it.

The tension between Flower and Luka was high. After being threatened and intimidated by Flower on more than one occasion, Luka had reason to hate her, but her feelings toward Flower had nothing to do with herself. Luka despised Flower for the way she treated Miku.

The officer positions of the club were up for grabs, but nobody opposed the original leaders keeping their roles. Lily remained president, Luka vice president, Gumi secretary, and Miku treasurer. It was a fairly easy life.

Flower gave a loud sniff and tapped away on her phone. A meeting was commencing, and everyone was present.

"Do you have a cold or something?" asked Lily.

"Hmph." Flower ignored the question and went back to her own business.

Flower sat noticeably distant from the rest of the team. Miku always tried to involve her, but she had no interest in participating. The agenda for that day was to collaborate on an idea for an outdoor activity, since the weather was hot again.

"So, what kind of event is it gonna be?" an excited Lapis bounced in place.

"Is it going to be an outdoor open mic night?" Miki also asked.

"It was a good idea before, but we should broaden our horizons. It might be good to have a small area set up for karaoke or something." Lily noted.

"We could do all sorts of stuff!" Gumi chimed in. "Outdoor activities, musically inclined discussions..."

"Basically an outdoor party?" Miki summed up.

"Yeah! That'll be fun!"

"I suppose so. We should have a name for this type of event, like 'Under a Fragment', since we all came together as one for it." suggested Lily.

"Ooh, I know one! *Let it Music Club, the Beautiful Love~*" Miku suggested.

"That doesn't even make any sense," Luka shook her head. "How about 'Night Fever?'"

"We want to have it during the day, so we can enjoy the sunshine. So we shouldn't emphasize the night. Let's call it 'Unmanned Party Station,' since no one tells us what to do." Miki suggested.

"We are a school club," Yukari brought up. "How about 'Tell the Teacher!'?"

"How about 'I Hate You, Teacher?'" Flower suggested from afar.

"'Chopping Stag Beetles and Time-Warping!'" Gumi raised her arms in joy, but received awkward stares from everyone else.

"What do you think, Lapis?" Lily asked the blue-haired girl.

"I'm a little befogged... I can't think of any good references."

"What do you mean?"

"... Never mind. Anyway, how about 'The Music Club's Super Funtabulous Party Day?'"

"Sounds a little silly," said Luka. "But I like it."

Everyone agreed that the name was self-explanatory, and that was what they went with. The rest of the meeting was full of playful banter and plans for the party, and it was time to go before they knew it. While giving each other their farewells, Lily gave Luka a slight nudge.

"Luka, I need to speak to you alone for a bit." the president said quietly.

Luka saw Gumi waiting for her by the door as she always did.

"Go on ahead, Gumi. I'll catch up."

"Okay..." Gumi was confused, but went to wait outside.

Once they were alone in the room, Lily closed the door to make sure nobody would hear her and Luka's conversation.

"What is it, Lily?" asked the anxious Luka.

Lily paced to the other side of the room and faced her backpack.

"What do you know about social media, Luka?"

"Hm? You mean like Pine and things like that?"

"Yeah, I believe I have you on it. You're friends with Miku there, right?"

"Yes, I see her posts every now and again."

Lily turned around and moved closer to Luka, slightly shifting to another topic.

"As you know, Miku and I hang out every so often. Lately, she's been acting kinda off. I know you work with her, so you probably know about her... addiction, right?"

"Addiction, you mean the smoking? Yeah, I've come to grips with it by now."

Lily stared at Luka with complete seriousness.

"Have you ever... taken a good look at Miku's Pine account?"

"Not really. Why?"

Lily took out her cellphone and pulled up the app. She went to a marker labeled "People Nearby" and showed it to Luka. Sure enough, on Lily's phone, Luka could see exactly where Miku was in the nearby area.

"She has her location on..." Luka noticed.

"Most sensible people would turn it off when they don't want others to know where they are," Lily explained. "However, Miku's is on 24/7. Normally, we would assume that she's forgetful, but after spending so much time with her, I know that's not the reason. There is definitely someone who wants to keep an eye on her, and she is more than willing to oblige. For what reason? Safety? I'm not sure. Anyway, when Miku started acting a little strange, I decided out of pure curiosity to watch her. I noticed that every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night at around 6 PM, she takes a bus to an address off of 1/6 Avenue. I looked it up, and apparently the address is some rundown abandoned warehouse."

Luka took this in. This was so much information at once. Lily continued.

"It may seem like a breach of privacy, but I am worried. Miku's relationship with Flower has become dangerous, and I know the type of girl Flower is. If she's getting Miku involved in something bad, we have to step in. I scheduled this meeting on a Friday, because I want you to find out what she's up to."

"Wha- Me?"

"Somehow, I think she's more likely to hear you out than me. You're free to tell her that I sent you, or to decline if you'd prefer me to go. I know how you've always felt about her, so I thought this matter concerned you, too."

Luka had to think for a minute. She was worried about Miku, but what could she do? If Miku was involved in something eerie, Luka wanted to know, and she wanted to get Miku out of it.

"I'll go." was her answer.

"Thank you. Do the best you can. If it's too dangerous when you get there, you're welcome to leave. This is just a suggestion, but I'm really worried."

That conversation sat with Luka for the rest of the day. She never paid much attention to the People Nearby tab on Pine, and even if she did, she would not have noticed such a small detail. Above all, she wanted to help Miku. That was her priority. That night, Miku was supposedly going to head to the warehouse on 1/6 Ave. Luka thought of the best possible way to follow her.

When she decided that she was definitely going to go through with the plan, Luka prepared to leave early. Rather than following Miku, she was going to beat her there. That way, she would see how dangerous the place was before going in.

Luka took a deep breath before heading outside to take a different bus. One that went over to 1/6 Avenue. 1/6 Avenue was surprisingly far, even from where Miku lived. Since Miku had a license, driving there was probably faster than commuting. Somewhere so far away and abandoned was not the type of place Miku should be hanging out.

"She must have some sort of secret. Something is going on at that warehouse..." Luka thought as she rode the bus down an unfamiliar route. She was shaking, and part of her couldn't even believe she was doing this, but she had to. Something inside her told her it was her duty.

After a long ride, Luka got off at an appropriate stop. Her destination was so out of the way, she had to go off the streets to reach it. There was only one abandoned warehouse nearby, it had to be the one Miku frequented.

Making some twists and turns, Luka saw the warehouse in question. It looked like a wreck, completely trashed and unkempt. For all she knew, it could have been a flophouse for a gang. If that were the case, she surely needed to get Miku away. While swallowing hard, Luka opened the faulty door and stepped inside.

The time was 4:56, so the pink investigator was early. Inside were shelves, cobwebs, an unstable staircase, and a couple empty boxes. Nobody else was inside. Still in disbelief of where she actually was, Luka hid behind a shelf and decided to wait. She prayed that Miku came alone, and did not have a plan for if she didn't. She just watched her phone, and waited.

About half an hour later, Miku's marker on the Pine app started to move in the direction of 1/6 Avenue. Luka watched in anticipation, hoping she would be there soon and this could end. Luckily, nobody else came before her. Little by little, Luka saw that Miku was heading for the warehouse.

Luka stayed perfectly still when she finally heard the door open. From around the side of the shelf, she saw the green twin-tails enter. Miku had an almost dead look, and dragged herself over to a table beside a box.

Luka tried her hardest not to be seen or sensed, but watched Miku as she opened the box and took something out. Luka squinted to see what it was, but it was impossible at her angle. Miku put something on the table and sighed.

"I can't believe it's come to this..."

Miku talked to herself and leaned over the table. Luka could not make out what she was doing or what was beneath her, but she quickly had enough information to know what was going on. Miku held something up to her nose and put her head close to the surface in front of her. Through her nose came a loud snort.

Luka gasped loudly, but Miku apparently did not hear her. The girl continued to snort the powder in front of her, until Luka stood up and trudged over to her.

"M-Miku?"

Miku did not turn around. She froze in place, and dropped the object from her hand.

"Luka... How? How did you know?" was all she had to say.

"I saw your location on Pine. I was worried, and- Now, this..."

Even though she could only see her back, Luka knew Miku was tearing up.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to worry you."

"Miku, why? That stuff is foreign, where did you even get it?"

"Flower knows some people... I-I started doing it when we got back together. It calms me..."

"Miku..."

From where she stood, Luka spotted a silver object inside the box. When she made out the shape, it became clear that it was a gun.

"What is that? Why do you have that?" Luka asked, mortified.

"It's... good to have readily available."

Luka took Miku's arms and turned her around. Her eyes were wet as rain, and only getting worse.

"I didn't want anyone to find out. That's why I only did it here."

"Come on, Miku," Luka led her friend away from the table. "You need to stop, it's so bad for you."

"But, Luka... I need it. I need it..." Miku said, almost whining as Luka brought her to a shelf and sat her on the floor.

"Why? You don't need that stuff to get through life, what's wrong?" Luka knelt beside Miku.

"Ever since I got back with Flower..." Miku struggled to speak. "It's been too much... I want to leave, but I... I just can't. I've relied on her for so many years. I've wasted my entire youth on her, and I'll never be able to take it back."

"You're 19, Miku. You have plenty years of youth left."

"But, I can't leave her. She's too much a part of me, I can't let that part of my life go..." Miku lost her ability to keep her tears back. "I can't let her go... I can't let her go..."

Seeing Miku's state, Luka put her arms around her and held her close. Miku began to uncontrollably bawl into Luka's shoulder. Luka was not sure what to do, but she had to be there for Miku.

"I... I can't let her go... Lukaaaaaa..."

"It's okay, Miku," Luka tried to comfort. "You can leave her. Please, don't put yourself through this. You don't have to suffer."

"I'm so sorry that I dumped you... I never wanted to go back, I just... I just... I can't help it!"

"Miku, it's okay... You don't have to go through this. You really don't."

Miku kept crying for another two minutes or so. Luka held her as tightly as possible, trying to do everything she could. After some more tears, Miku slowly regained control.

"Luka. If you still love me... please take me back. You're the true one I love, I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner..."

This was sudden. Luka was not expecting to hear this through Miku's bout of sadness. Caught up in the moment, she did not know how to answer.

"Miku, are you sure about that?"

"Luka, you're the only reason I have to live. I loved you when we first met, too. I pushed for you to work at Hatotapi's so we could spend more time together, especially after we stopped hanging out as much... I never loved Flower, she didn't let me have a choice! I've stayed with her this long because I'm scared of what she'll do if I leave! I've had no choice but to accept it as my fate and hope that every day would either end with her death, or my own. Otherwise, I'd be stuck with her for life, which is worse than being dead!"

Luka remembered the feeling of ultimate trust that she established early in her friendship with Miku. This had to be the final piece to the trust puzzle. This was a side of Miku that nobody had ever seen, and Luka was the first to see it. Still unsure of how to respond, Luka gave the only possible answer.

"You have to leave Flower first. For good this time. If she wants to try anything funny, I'll make sure she gets what's coming to her. I'll protect you."

Luka was always the submissive type, but from her time with both Miku and Gumi, she learned that relationships are two-way streets. Both sides equally protecting each other. It was time for her to become more protective.

"I will. I'll leave Flower, then we can be together again. We'll be happy, for the first time... Nothing will break us apart again!"

Miku threw herself at Luka and gave her friend a long kiss on the lips. Luka accepted it and held Miku in her arms. Luka thought about Gumi, her girlfriend, who no one else knew about. What would become of them now? What would the future hold?

If this was love, why was it so bittersweet?


	12. Flower's Sentiments

The sun was hot, so the weather was perfect for a club outing.

Everything was set for The Music Club's Super Funtabulous Party Day, hosted by the Turito College music club. A little ways away from campus was an open field near a forest preserve, and this is where the outing took place.

Lily, Luka, Miku, Gumi, Lapis, Yukari, and Miki were present, but one person was missing.

"Is Flower not coming today?" Lily asked Miku.

"I don't think so. I'd be surprised if she did."

Tables containing food and drinks were set up, along with loudspeakers and music blasting. Lapis and Miki were playing a game of catch in the field, while Luka and Miku watched from where they sat on the grass.

Watching the sky, Luka thought for a second that she heard Miku sniff. When she turned her head, Miku was scratching her own arm vigorously.

"Bug bites?"

"Huh? Yeah, mhm. Didn't come prepared."

Luka chuckled.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" asked Luka, making conversation.

"It sure is. It's great that we can spend it together, all of us here."

"Yeah. I don't go out much, this is a nice getaway."

"By the way, Luka," Miku moved her head close to Luka's ear and whispered. "It's over. We shouldn't have to worry about Flower again."

Luka was delighted by what she heard, but tried to hide it. Miku sounded satisfied with herself, so it must have been true. Still, she was unsure if Flower was the type to stay silent about this. Since she was at a party, she did not want to think about it. Luka wanted to enjoy the day with friends. With Miku.

"So, Luka..." Miku moved back and talked out loud. "We can... you know..."

"Yes, I know." Luka watched Gumi, who was not too far away. She had joined Lapis and Miki's game of catch, which now looked more like a game of rugby. In the excitement, Gumi stopped and watched Luka and Miku as well. Her face showed uncertainty, possible suspicion. Luka remembered how good Gumi was at reading her, and felt on-edge when the girl in orange started walking toward her.

"Luka!" Gumi called. "Come play with us!"

"What? No, I couldn't possibly."

"What's the matter? Afraid to get your cute summer dress all sweaty?" Gumi teased.

"Actually, yes. Also, I'm awful at sports."

"No excuse!" Gumi grabbed Luka by the arm and yanked her to her feet. "We're here to have fun! Come on!"

Gumi dragged Luka into the field, leaving Miku on her own. Lily and Yukari were nearby, talking about more sophisticated topics. Now in need of someone to talk to, Miku joined them.

Luka partook in the vicious game of catch, or whatever it was at that point. She hardly understood the rules, but she continually caught the ball and tried to toss it to Miki or Lapis as Gumi chased her around the field.

"What game is this?!" Luka shouted through her breaths.

"It's Gumi Ball!" Gumi proclaimed.

The game was surprisingly hectic, but Luka caught on fast. From what she understood, the goal was to pass the ball to one another without being caught by Gumi. After a few rounds, Lily and Yukari joined in, but Miku only watched from the sidelines. Something was off about her. When Luka stopped to see what was wrong, Gumi promptly tackled her.

"I win!" Gumi jumped for joy. "There's no beating Gu-*me!*"

"How are we even supposed to win this?" Luka asked rhetorically.

The party went on with food, karaoke, and more games. It was a good time, but Luka was curious to see what was up with Miku. Shortly after watching Gumi sing, Miku grabbed her bag and got ready to go.

"Thank you for having me. This party was great, but I have to get going." said Miku, giving everyone a hug.

"Really? What's going on?" asked Luka.

"Nothing, just got some classwork to do. You know how it is." Miku gave an excuse. "I'll talk to you later, Luka."

"Okay. Guess I'll see you then?"

After giving Luka a second hug, Miku walked off. She did not appear to be in a good state of mind, so Luka thought it best that she went home for the day.

When the sun began to go down, Luka figured it was time to go. The party was fun, but Luka grew tired and wanted to see if she could call Miku by the end of the night.

"I should probably get going. I have a busy day tomorrow." Luka went to say goodbye to everyone.

"Aw, really? You can't stay for longer?" Gumi looked sad.

"Don't make me feel any worse about leaving early than I already do," Luka laughed. "I'll see you all later this week."

Luka gave Gumi and the others hugs and headed on her way. She did have to catch a bus, but she could have taken a later one. Miku was on her mind, as usual. She remembered finding out about Miku's "problem", but assumed it was over with now that Flower was out of the picture.

Since the day was busier than normal, Luka expected to go home and unwind before calling Miku. Depending on how tired she would be, she considered saving the call for the next day.

While on the bus, night fell. Luka stared out the window into the sky, thinking. Thinking about everything. A year ago, she was living the most uneventful life imaginable. She never loved before, and now she found herself in a serious predicament. She worried about Miku, she worried about Gumi, she worried about Flower. Unconsciously, she worried about herself, too.

"A normal human... I've never been a normal human. I never hung out with anyone, I was never good at anything except singing, I never left home. Now, everything is happening so fast. Do normal people go through these kind of things, too? I've never been normal, I wouldn't know..."

Luka stepped off the bus at her stop, and started across the street for the suburbs. A dark and quiet night. Not a single other living soul on the streets. The complete quietude reminded Luka of how she once viewed the world. Nothing to worry her. In some form, she wanted to go back.

"This is what it's come to, huh?"

On the dirty, cracked old sidewalk, Luka trudged on home. What was love? What she had with Miku, or what she had with Gumi? The questions were invading her, and she did not have the answers. Deep in thought, Luka lost sense of her surroundings, until something cold touched her. The back of her head, precisely.

Something cold and metallic.

Luka slowly turned around to see what touched her, and her eyes widened at the sight of a pistol pointing directly at her head. The holder was Flower, the one Miku claimed to have left.

"Hello, Luka. Let's take a little walk, shall we?"

"Flower..." a terrified Luka gradually raised her arms. "I don't know what you want, but please put the gun down. We can talk about th-"

"Shut up! You know exactly what this is about!" Flower pointed the gun even closer to Luka. "Now, walk! Your house, back entrance. Move!"

Luka could not say anything more. Even saying she was the most scared she had ever been would not be enough to surmise the fear going through Luka's head.

The pink-haired girl obliged, walking at gunpoint toward her house. Flower kept a keen eye on her the whole time, watching for any sudden movements. Luka finally gathered the courage to speak.

"W-why are you doing this? I don't mean any harm..."

"You don't mean any harm? That's all you've caused me since you came into my life! I told you a long time ago not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, and look where you are now. Why did you have to do it? Hm? Why were you so determined to take Miku away from me? I let you off easy, and you still couldn't hold back! Almost a year later, I thought you'd have moved on, but I guess not."

Luka held her tongue, afraid that anything she could say would end in being shot.

"As has been ingrained in your mind, I'm the bad guy. That's what Miku told you, right?" Flower kept talking as Luka guided her. "Has anyone ever told you that there's two sides to every story? Life isn't just some book that has good guys and bad guys."

"I-I never thought of you as-"

"Shut it!" Flower pressed the gun hard against Luka's head. "You're lucky. Miku never talked to anyone besides me and Rin. I've known Miku since I was a child. You know how we met, don't you? Or did Miku never tell you? Okay, allow me to enlighten you..."

At a young age, Flower was raised to be different from the people around her. Her father died before she was born, and her mother died from sickness only a year after giving birth. Flower was put in the care of an orphanage, and only had more trouble fitting in. She never wanted to learn or interact with others.

"It's stupid! I'm never, ever going to school!" Flower would cry.

One day, Flower was adopted by an unmarried couple in their 20s. They were engaged, but never took it farther. Both were gang members, and heavy substance abusers. By the age of 10, Flower had her first high. In the household, getting yelled at was common, and she became resistant to rules. Eventually, her father left home and her mother overdosed. The child decided to live on her own, but she was picked up by federal agents and sent to school with new foster care.

Flower stood out among her peers as the girl who looked and acted different. The way she sat, the way she talked, the disrespect she had for teachers and upperclassmen. She was often compared to her underclassman Hatsune Miku, who also disrespected the rules and did as she pleased.

During a recess, Flower was sitting alone, when a tough student approached her.

"You're that weird kid, arentcha?" she taunted. "Think you're hot stuff? Think you're the big presentation of the class?"

Flower said nothing, causing the girl to grab her.

"Don't ignore me! People like you hate being ignored, so why are you doing it to me? Answer me!"

Flower continued to say nothing, until Miku came from behind.

"What are you doing?" the green-haired kid asked the bully.

"Beat it, Miku."

"Don't use that voice with me!" Miku threatened back, causing the bully to release Flower.

"What are you gonna do about it? Huh?" the girl stood in front of Miku, sizing her up.

Miku swung a balled fist into the bully's cheek and sent her to the concrete ground with a slam. The girl rose to her feet and started to cry, running away.

"Nice." Flower complimented.

"Thanks. I work out." Miku touted.

"It's a shame they want us to be all girly and cutesy here. It's nice to meet someone who's not afraid to fight."

"I'm never afraid to fight. I'll never let anyone talk down to me, Hatsune Miku!"

Once they were close enough to each other, Flower and Miku started to date. They were the "punks" of every grade, the bane of every teacher's existence. However, when they aged and discovered love for pleasure beyond kissing, they had a problem. Both Flower and Miku had a desire to dominate.

"I can never see myself submitting to anyone! Hatsune Miku does not submit!" a teenage Miku snapped.

"I have never once given up power to anyone, and I have no intention of starting!" Flower argued.

"Then why don't you give it up to me? Am I not an exception?"

"Hey, I can ask you the same thing."

The argument went on, but ultimately, Miku decided that her love for Flower was greater than her urge to dominate. She took on the role of the submissive, and even changed her personality to become more of a "pretty girly girl" that Flower could manipulate more. Eventually, Flower's love became obsession. Her obsession became too much for Miku, who asked Flower to bring it down when she started feeling uncomfortable. To this, Flower replied:

"Who's in charge here? That's what I thought."

Flower loved the power, but Miku slowly began to regret hooking up with her. As years passed, it worsened, so Miku became fragile and vulnerable.

After hearing Flower's story, Luka spoke.

"Why didn't you tone it down when she asked you to?"

"It wasn't her place. She knew what she was getting into when she dated me."

The two reached the back of Luka's house, and Flower pushed Luka to the wall.

"Up against the wall with your back towards me!" Flower demanded, which Luka did.

"Please, Flower, let me go..." Luka pleaded.

"Why should I? All these years, my entire youth... I had it all. Everything was so perfect until you showed up! I hate you more than anyone else on this planet, Megurine Luka. You thought it was your business to meddle with my relationship? You thought you could please Miku half as much as I could? You... You took everything from me!"

Luka squealed and shut her eyes. She wanted to run, but her feet were frozen in fear. This was it. She was going to die.

 **BANG!**

A gunshot fired.

Aside from terror, Luka felt nothing. No pain, no wounds. She opened her eyes and turned around. In front of her, Flower stood with wide eyes and an open mouth. She started to choke, and put her hand against her chest, which was soaked in the color red.

Flower gasped for air and collapsed forward, planting face-first on the ground. Through her back, a bullet had pierced her heart. Flower was dead.

Every urge to scream refused to come out of Luka. The disbelief and pure shock of the whole situation was too much. Someone was waiting at her house, and killed Flower before she could kill her.

In the dark, holding a gun, was the one who saved Luka. They came forward, and the first thing Luka saw were the green twin-tails.

"M-Miku?"

Miku, with a blank face and bloodshot eyes, inched toward Luka without speaking. The gun in her hand was the same one Luka caught sight of at the warehouse.

"What are you doing here? How did you..."

Miku reached Luka and put her arms around her. She brought up her other hand, revealing a blue cloth.

"Miku-"

Miku pressed the cloth over Luka's nose and mouth, sending a powerful scent through Luka's nostrils. It was so strong, Luka was unable to manage any words. Her vision began to fade.

"Shhh..." said Miku. "Everything will be okay soon."

Hearing this, Luka lost consciousness.


	13. Kidnapped

"Don't talk to me. Do you have any idea what 'I don't like you' means?"

"You're such a creep. Leave me alone."

"Who would ever love someone as anti-social as you?"

"You're a disgrace to this planet."

Luka threw her face into her pillow, sobbing uncontrollably. Everything people said about her. Everything the people she loved said about her. People always told her that high school would be the worst years of her life, and they were right. She did not know how it could get any worse than this.

Her recent crush could not stand her social awkwardness, and let her down in the worst way possible, threatening legal action if Luka continued to talk to her. The school agreed to keep an eye on Luka to make sure she stayed away. The most humiliating way to ever be turned down. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be lonely for the rest of her life.

Behind her parents' backs, Luka swiped a pocket knife from her father's dresser into her room. There was nowhere left for her to turn.

Luka flipped the knife out and laid her wrist on the bed. With several slashes, blade met skin.

"I'm a horrible human being... I don't deserve anything..."

Luka's slashes grew more and more aggressive. Her arm became drenched in blood and tears. It hurt, but it could not have hurt more than life.

"If I'm still here tomorrow... I'll never love again. Romance brings nothing but pain. I hate it!"

Luka's eyelids slowly shifted open. She felt groggy, and her body was heavy. It reminded her of a bad hangover.

The world was on its side, from as far as Luka could see. She did not comprehend her environment, or condition. She only tried to remember everything that happened leading up to this moment. She did not remember a good chunk of the past couple hours, as if she were asleep during that time. It then came back to her. Miku pressed a wet cloth against her nose, and she fainted. That was how she ended up in this situation.

Luka realized that she was laying on her side on a cold floor. Indoors. With a couple glances, she recognized the place as the warehouse on 1/6 Avenue. The one Miku frequently visited to partake in unhealthy activities. Luka tried to sit up, but aside from her heaviness from the drug, something else kept her down.

Ropes. When Luka stared down at herself, she saw that her legs and ankles were bound, and her arms were tied behind her back. This made her situation a lot less desirable.

"Nnnh!" Luka cried out, discovering that a cloth was tied in her mouth.

Luka's thoughts were racing. After blacking out, something must have happened to her. Why did Miku knock her unconscious, and where was she? She refused to believe Miku would do this to her, at least without her consent. Then, she remembered something else. Just before Miku rendered Luka unconscious, she shot Flower dead right in front of her. Although Flower may have had it coming, that made Miku a murderer.

"MMMH!" Luka shouted and fought against her restraints. If Miku would commit murder, kidnapping surely wouldn't be beneath her.

Through her flailing, footsteps echoed from behind. Luka slowed down to listen, tilting her head to see the person behind her. She found out when she was grabbed and brought up to a sitting position. The person who sat down beside her was Miku.

"I see you're awake. That's good, I was hoping I didn't chloroform you too hard."

"Mhku?" Luka tried to talk.

"Shhhh... Shush." Miku put her finger against Luka's gagged mouth. "Everything is okay now. Flower's gone, we're together, we're alone... Nothing could be better than this."

Miku put her arms around her captive and hugged her tightly, giving her a firm kiss on the cheek.

"Funny thing..." Miku brought her head back and looked straight at Luka. "I don't think Flower even wanted to kill you. Maybe rough you up a little, traumatize you, but not kill. She was too weak. Someone like her would never be able to take a life. I told you before, she's all talk."

Luka's pupils were wide in terror.

"You're probably wondering why I did her in, even if she wasn't going to kill you. Well, because she deserved it. I can say it was to save you and our problem is solved. I knew she would go for you when she didn't show up to our party. I took advanced measures and hid out at your place, where I expected her to strike. Didn't think she'd get you halfway, but who cares? She's gone, forget about her. It's all you and me now..."

Had Miku lost her mind? Her love for Luka really brought out her creepy side.

"Mmh!" Luka moaned and tried to look away, but Miku grabbed her by the chin and brought her face back towards hers.

"Nuh-uh. Look at me." Miku brought her lips to the cloth over Luka's mouth, giving it a warm kiss. "I'm not going to keep you here forever, don't worry. I brought you here so we could hide, let things settle. Sometime, in a few days, we'll run away. We'll leave Hesutachi and start new lives somewhere else. New names, new homes, leave everything behind. It's okay, all we need is each other, right? All I need is you. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure that out."

Miku played with Luka's hair and caressed her cheek. She enjoyed having a captive audience a little too much. Luka did not know what to think, or how to feel. Her head was blank.

"Also, Luka..." Miku took one of Luka's bound arms. "When I was tying you up, I made a little discovery. Your wrists, they're a little... abused. The scars are old, mostly faded. You would have to look very closely to see them. Want to see mine?"

Miku held her left arm in front of Luka, revealing scars on her own wrist.

"This one isn't as healed as yours. It was a bit more recent, I assume. You were depressed before, weren't you? I was too. But, you know, who isn't these days? I was so depressed all these years, I thought life wasn't worth living. Then I met you, and you were so... perfect. Everything about you was everything I ever dreamed of. I stopped cutting when I met you. I thought that maybe, if you were depressed too, you'd be more than happy to be with me. Maybe I went a little mad, but I love you, Luka. I love you so, so, so much. And now, you're mine. All mine."

Luka wriggled at the ropes around her hands, shaking from Miku's explanation. She wanted to be flattered, but what did this mean for her?

"Do you want to be untied?" asked Miku, to which Luka nodded. "After all, you wouldn't try to escape. You do love me, don't you?"

"Mhm..."

"Unless..." Miku grabbed Luka by the back of her hair. "You're trying to pull a fast one on me! You're scared of me because I'm a killer and a kidnapper, aren't you?"

Luka was actually surprised Miku could tell what she was thinking.

"I see. I know how this is gonna be then. I'll need to earn your trust again, and then you'll love me. Just like before. Don't be scared, Luka. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise, I would never do such a thing." Miku stroked Luka's leg and nuzzled against her.

Luka loved Miku, and she loved affection, but she could not have been more uncomfortable. She wanted to be grateful to Miku for saving her life, but this was weird. Nothing seemed right, and for some reason, she was afraid of Miku.

"I'll take good care of you, my Luka. You never need to worry again. Whatever the future throws at us, I'll be here to protect you. Just stay by my side, okay?"

Miku embraced Luka once again and lowered her back to the floor.

"It's pretty late, we both should get some sleep. We're safe in here for now, so don't worry." Miku laid on the ground with Luka and snuggled close to her. "I'm sorry about making you sleep on the floor. We're limited on resources as long as we're in here, so I hope it'll do. Just lay against me, and I'll be all the softness you need..."

With nothing else to do, Luka let Miku cuddle her on the filthy floor of the warehouse. If this were a nightmare, she wanted to wake up. So, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"Mmm..."


	14. A Confrontation

Two days of captivity.

To Luka, it seemed like two decades. She was trapped in a warehouse with a crazed girlfriend. She hoped that her friends would notice she was missing, but even if they did, they had no way of finding her.

"Mmmph!" Luka screamed and struggled while Miku rummaged through a box. She was still bound, but Miku occasionally loosened the ropes to keep her from suffocating. Miku did not trust Luka enough to release her, convinced that she would get Luka to love her again.

"Luka, calm down." Miku rubbed her eyes and crawled over to her captive. "Don't make me tighten those again."

"Mrrgh!" Luka complained.

"What is it, sweetheart? You want to say something?"

Luka nodded, so Miku lowered the cloth in her mouth.

"Miku, please..." Luka muttered after taking a breath. "You have to untie me. We can't go on like this."

"I know. We'll leave soon, just put up with it for a little longer." Miku petted Luka's hair.

"Miku, please... let me go home. I want to go back."

"We can't, Luka. We can only go forward from here. We have each other, that's all we need. We'll have a new home and a new life before we know it. Please, just be a little patient. I know you're scared, everything happened so fast. But I'm here, and I won't let anything happen to you."

Miku brought her lips to Luka's and gave her a long kiss. Miku was an odd combination of comforting and terrifying at the same time. When the kiss ended, Miku drew back and put her hands on Luka's shoulders.

"Isn't this nice, though? Remember, you told me that you loved to be controlled. This should be paradise for you. Having you like this is paradise for me..."

Miku went in for another kiss, holding this one for longer than the last. Luka was conflicted, because Miku was right, but everything about her situation was wrong. She felt in danger.

When Miku finished the kiss, she lifted the cloth back into Luka's mouth.

"Now hush. We can't afford to have anyone hear you."

Luka groaned. Miku stood up and walked over to a familiar box on a table. She put her whole head inside, and gave a loud snort. The stuff was already prepared in the box, for convenience. Miku raised her head, with white on the tip of her nose, and looked over to Luka.

"Don't mind me. I'll quit someday, but it's too addicting..." Miku reached into the box and pulled out a sharp knife.

"Mhh?"

"It's a pretty one, isn't it? Usually, when I get a good high, I can't avoid using it. I haven't done my wrists in a while, since I didn't want people noticing. If you take a good look at my skin, there are scars everywhere. My flaws hidden by the best appearance I could put on..."

With the knife, Miku returned to Luka and knelt beside her. She pointed out the side of her kneecap, which had a visible scar.

"You don't often look in these areas, do you? Makes it a little easier to cut without people worrying. It's just a symptom of the high. I want to cut, I don't care what I cut, as long as it bleeds." Miku grazed Luka's leg with the tip of the knife.

"Mmmph!" Luka cried.

"Oh be quiet, I'm not digging it into you. There wouldn't be any pleasure in cutting someone else. Maybe it's depression-induced, but there's a real nice feel to the blade of a knife. It just needs to be brought out of you. You should try the 'foreign stuff' too. You'll be a lot happier..."

Luka squirmed and tried to move away. Miku's sanity was deteriorating, and she couldn't do anything about it.

With perfect timing, the sound of a slam brought Luka and Miku's attention to the entrance. A second, and a third slam followed, and the doorknob broke off. The door swayed open and someone walked inside.

The first thing Luka saw was an orange outfit she had grown so fond of, accompanied by green hair.

"Ghmhi!" Luka shouted.

Gumi dropped a hammer to the floor. She had smashed the doorknob off, and for the first time, every inch of her was red with pure anger.

"Gumi?" Miku dropped the knife and stood. "What are you doing here?"

Gumi walked toward Miku, intimidatingly.

"Flower didn't show at our party the other day. Lily couldn't get in contact with her. I assumed this was Flower being her usual cold self, but then I noticed that neither you nor Luka were answering my calls. Rin also mentioned that a certain Miku never came home. After two days, this became quite a concern. But... you neglected something, Miku. You've always had your location set to on in Pine, even when you're not using the app. When I saw you were here, I came immediately. Judging by Luka's predicament, I can only assume nothing good is happening here. And, where might Flower be?"

Miku was speechless. This abrupt visit left her horrified.

"Hmhm," Gumi chuckled. "Your expression says it all. I don't know if anyone's ever told you this, but you're really easy to read. Now, let Luka go and come with me silently."

"Gck..." Miku balled her hands into fists and stepped toward Gumi. "No one asked you to meddle in our business. I'll give you a chance to get out of here and keep quiet about everything. You never knew us."

"Are you... trying to give me orders?" Gumi reached into her skirt. "Nobody tells me what to do. I never submit to anyone!"

Gumi pulled out a pair of handcuffs that Luka recognized. She held them with the same ferocity as she would when role-playing with Luka.

"I was expecting to find a kidnapper or something bad here," Gumi explained. "And I did, I just didn't expect it to be you. You're coming with me to the police station, Hatsune Miku! You will pay for everything you put my girlfriend through!"

"Girlfriend?" Miku was appalled. "What do you mean 'girlfriend?' Luka is mine!"

"Yours? You had your chance with her, and you threw her away! I've been dating Luka in secret for almost a year!"

"Huh? So... that's why you two spent so much time together." Miku accepted this. "Do you think I care, though? What Luka and I have is true love, and you were probably just some after-breakup hookup. You got lucky lasting as long as you did, but I've known for over six years that length in romance means nothing."

"Stop throwing that stupidity at me! You're insane, and you need to be taken down!"

Gumi rushed Miku off-guard. Gumi snatched Miku's arms and snapped the cuffs on her before she could fight Gumi off.

"Gotcha! You're coming with me, whether you like it or not!"

Gumi lowered Miku to the floor and made for Luka. Miku jingled the cuffs around her wrists and growled. She then took notice of her box on the table.

Gumi knelt down beside Luka and gave her a big hug and a kisses on both cheeks. She removed the gag and kissed Luka on the mouth.

"Oh God, my Luka... Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"

"N-no, not really... but I'm okay." Luka was not okay, but it felt right to say.

"I'm gonna get you out of here, don't worry. I need to get you home." Gumi fiddled with the ropes around Luka's wrists. When they were untied, she heard a click. She and Luka turned their heads to see Miku.

"Put those ropes back..." Miku stood pointing her gun with her cuffed hand. She had retrieved it from the box on the table.

"Miku, you-"

"Put the ropes back on her, Gumi! Then, get over here and take these cuffs off of me. I've done it before, I'm not afraid to paint these walls red! Do as I say!"

Gumi looked at both Luka and Miku, sighing and deciding it best to oblige. If she died, Miku would get away. With Luka.

"I'm sorry, Luka." Gumi took Luka's wrists and retied them. Luka did not even resist.

"Good. Now take these off me!" Miku insisted.

Gumi rose to her feet and walked over to Miku. She took out a key and put it in the slot, unlocking the handcuffs.

"Good." Miku grabbed Gumi's arms and pulled them behind her back, snapping the handcuffs on her wrists. Gumi did not fight it, so as to not risk being shot. Miku pointed the gun at the ceiling and let the bullet fly. She snickered and shoved Gumi aside, ambling over to Luka. "Now, my dear Luka, come to me..."

Gumi leaped over and kicked Miku from the side, causing Miku to drop the gun. It slid over to where Luka sat, while Gumi tried to hold Miku back.

"You..." Miku punched Gumi in the cheek, but Gumi maintained her stance and headbutted Miku in the chest.

"I can't believe I once called you my friend!" Gumi snapped. "You are the worst person I have ever met!"

While Gumi and Miku wrestled, Luka wiggled her hands behind her back. She discovered that Gumi had retied her loosely, allowing her to slip out of the ropes much easier. Her battling lovers did not notice her. As soon as her hands were free, Luka reached for the gun. She picked it up and selected a target.

"You should... have left us... alone!" Miku seized Gumi's neck and began to strangle her, until both of them noticed Luka. They froze in place, and Miku released Gumi's neck. "Luka..."

"Luka... no, stop..."

Luka pointed the gun at her own head.

"I can't do this. I can't take it! I hated being alone, but now I see what falling in love has done! There's no turning back after today..."

"Luka, put the gun down." Gumi tried to calm her down. "Put it down, we can talk about this."

"Yeah, just drop it and kick it away. Let's not make any hasty decisions..." Miku added.

"Shut up! I only ever wanted to be happy, and now that's impossible! I don't know what to think anymore... There's no reason to keep going." Luka pushed the gun hard against her head, placing her finger on the trigger.

"Luka!" Gumi shouted. "Luka! If you do it, I'll kill myself!"

Luka stopped where she was.

"I will too!" Miku agreed. "You're the only joy I've ever had in my life!"

"I can't live without you, Luka!" Gumi kept going. "I love you so much, it hurts! If we can't leave here together, we'll die here together!"

"How about it, Luka? You pull that trigger, you kill three people. Is that what you want?"

Luka's hand trembled. This felt so unfair to her. Tears streamed down her face, and she dropped the gun. Gumi and Miku immediately ran over to her, sitting on each side. Miku slid the gun away and put her arm around Luka.

"Luka, never do that again. Please." Miku teared up as well.

"My heart never beat as fast as it did just then. You mean so much to me, Luka, don't ever threaten yourself like that." Gumi nuzzled her girlfriend.

"G-Gumi... M-Miku..." Luka whimpered. "I... I hate this. I just want to go home..."

"I'll take you home! I promise, everything will be okay again in a few days." Gumi assured her.

"We'll make home together. Come on, stay with me." Miku beckoned.

"It's not right... You two shouldn't be fighting over me. I never wanted any of this. All I wanted was to love and be loved. The way I never have been before."

Gumi and Miku exchanged a glance, before nodding to Luka.

"Luka, tell us," said Miku. "Who do you love? Gumi or me?"

Luka did not know the answer. She loved them both, and she could never choose.

"Miku... You've been my crush for the longest time, and I've always tried everything I could to get your attention. And Gumi, you've always been there for me. You've always comforted me and made sure I was happy. I can't decide, you both mean the world to me. Much more than the world, you both mean life to me."

Gumi and Miku were silent. They only looked at each other, before Gumi turned her wrists to Miku. Using the key, Miku unlocked Gumi and took the handcuffs.

"Wh-what's going on?" asked Luka, as Miku moved behind her.

"Stay here. Don't move a muscle." Miku brought Luka's hands behind her back and cuffed them.

"Huh?!"

"Luka, this will be over soon." Gumi stood with Miku, and they slowly walked to the middle of the warehouse.

"Wait a minute, tell me what's going on!" Luka screamed after them. "What are you doing?! Miku! Gumi! Answer me! Miku! Gumi! What are you doing?!"


	15. Why Must My Tears Go Unseen?

Gumi and Miku stared each other down, sizing up one another in the middle of the warehouse.

"So," Miku began. "Only one of us leaves with Luka? That's how it is?"

"Looks like it." said Gumi. "If Luka can't see your true colors, I have no choice but to take extreme measures to get her away from you."

"Maybe we're both mad, Gumi. Mad over Luka. Let's settle this right here, right now."

Only a few inches away from Miku was the pistol she threatened Gumi with. At the back of the warehouse was Luka, bound and cuffed, forced to watch the ones she loved fight each other. Possibly to the death.

"I never wanted to kill anyone, but I can never forgive you for what you've done." Gumi growled.

"I never hurt her. I never intended to hurt her. If you're going to try and take her away, I will not let you leave!"

Gumi moved into an aggressive stance.

"I'll give you pain a lot worse than a box falling on your foot!"

"It's on then!"

Miku dived for the gun, but Gumi reacted fast and tackled her. She rolled Miku over, facing up, and proceeded to punch her continually in the face. Luka screamed at the sight of her former girlfriend being pounded on.

"I... hate... you!" Gumi's fists did not stop coming, pummeling Miku's cheeks and bringing out the blood and bruises.

"Get off of- me!" Miku sputtered between punches, grabbing one of Gumi's wrists and using all of her strength to bring her attacker to the floor. Gumi was yanked off of Miku and hit the floor beside her. Miku kicked her leg forward and struck Gumi in the temple.

Gumi tried to stand, but Miku got up first and kicked her to the floor. Miku then stomped Gumi's chest, pressing her foot down viciously. Luka continued to scream and cry, trying to break her restraints to stop the fight.

When Gumi's pain kept her subdued, Miku slid over to the gun and grabbed it, not wasting any time pointing it at her target.

"You've been asking for this, Gumi!" Miku fired a bullet, but Gumi ignored her pain and rolled out of the way. She quickly staggered to her feet and charged Miku. "You stupid little..."

Miku shot another bullet, which Gumi tried to dodge while running for Miku. She failed, and it hit her shoulder.

"Gah! You..." Gumi ignored the blood gushing down her arm and focused on Miku. Before Miku could fire again, Gumi rammed her in the chest and made her drop the gun.

Miku tried to push Gumi away, but was overcome by her strength. Gumi saw the gun was within arm's reach, and extended her arm to grab it.

"No!" Miku reached for the gun as well.

"Get away!" Gumi kicked Miku in the stomach and sent her backwards. Gumi grabbed the gun and held it at Miku, now on the other side of the fence.

Miku, not wanting to charge Gumi, changed direction and ran towards Luka. Gumi clenched the gun and pressed her finger against the trigger, following Miku with it.

"Hatsune Miku. The things you have done are unspeakable. Any remorse I've ever had for you is gone. I wish I never met you... I wish Luka never met you. I wish we saw who you truly were earlier."

Miku shakily approached Luka.

"Luka, my love. Luka..."

"Die, you bitch!"

 **BANG!**

"L-L-L-Luka..."

A hole formed in Miku's chest. Her heart was pierced.

"MIKU!" Luka watched her girlfriend topple to the ground, bleeding out painfully.

"I-is..." Miku gripped the floor with her hand and dragged herself closer to Luka. Her other hand clasped her chest, where her open wounds were. "Is it so wrong... to love?"

Miku reached Luka and let herself fall into her. Luka could not catch Miku with her restrained hands, but Miku used her remaining energy to lay against her loved one.

"Miku, I'm so sorry... Everything is my fault..." Luka's tears trickled down to Miku's face.

"No, Luka... no..." Miku stroked Luka's hair with her bloody hand, leaving streaks of red in the pink. "I had the chance to meet you... before now... and spent time with you... and kissed you... and had you... I don't want to die, but... this isn't so bad... Goodbye, Luka."

With the last of her energy, Miku gave Luka one final kiss. She let out a gasp for air, and blood from her hand smeared across Luka's face. Miku's eyes went dull, she brought her head down, and stopped breathing.

"Miku? Miku, please don't..." Luka was stricken with grief. The one who tormented her, but the one who loved her. The one she loved. Hatsune Miku was dead.

"MIIKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

There was nothing more Luka could do. She cried and cried, left bound with the body of her lover on top of her. Did it need to happen? Did Miku need to die?

Luka could not catch her breath through her tears. She never wanted this.

Never.

Gumi walked over to Luka and the body of Miku and knelt beside her, putting the gun down.

"Luka, we need to go."

"Why... why did this happen?"

"I didn't want it to, either. This completely sucks, and I'm sorry you had to go through it."

"Miku... she told me a long time ago that she always kept her emotions bottled up. Nobody ever knew she was suffering. Nobody heard her cries, so she turned to bad habits and lost her mind... Why?! Why did she keep it all to herself?!"

Luka put her head into Miku, soaking the body. Gumi gently moved Miku away, wiping Luka's tears with her hand. In her own eyes, tears started to come out as well.

"You- you loved her, didn't you?"

Luka said nothing. Gumi knew the answer.

"I knew I was always second best," Gumi took a deep breath. "I knew it even now. I didn't want her to take you, because I wanted you. I needed you, and I didn't want her to have you. My emotions got the best of me. I wanted to save you from her so badly, so we could be together. I selfishly killed the one you loved."

Gumi picked the gun up and began to walk away from Luka.

"Only one way I can make up for it now, and even that won't be enough."

Luka regained control of herself, just enough to speak.

"Gumi." Gumi turned to Luka after hearing her name.

"When you go, take me with you."

Gumi returned to Luka, making sure she heard correctly.

"What?"

"You heard what I said. Kill me. If you're going to do yourself in, kill me first. I can't watch another person I love die, and even more can't continue life without them. Once you're gone, I'll have no reason to live."

"Luka, stop. Stop talking like that. You're going to go on with life, find someone else to love, and live happily ever after. This is where it ends for me. I can't go back now." Gumi's cheeks were just as wet as Luka's.

"If you die, who's going to stop me from committing suicide? Who's going to be there for me? You told me you would always protect me!"

"Well, I lied! I can't always be there for you, even if I am alive! I couldn't save you from being kidnapped, I couldn't save you any time you were in danger, and I can't save you from sadness! I can't protect you, and that's all I wanted to do! I wanted to protect you! I wanted to devote my life to keeping you safe and giving you complete happiness! I failed, Luka! I fucking failed!"

Gumi put the gun to her head, gritting her teeth.

"I won't let you talk me out of this! Goodbye, Luka! I love you..."

"GUMI, NO!"

 **Click.**

 **Click, click, click, click.**

"Out of bullets..." Gumi sighed. She threw the gun to the floor and folded her arms. "That's just great."

"Gumi, it's a sign." Luka perked up.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't kill yourself. The gun being empty is a sign that you need to keep going. You need to stay with me. Miku would want it, I just know it!"

"Luka..."

"Gumi, untie me. Please. Let's go home."

Gumi did not speak. She nodded and went over to Luka, undoing the handcuffs and freeing her legs. Luka pulled Gumi into an embrace, crying into her bloody shoulder.

"I love you, Gumi. You're not second best... You never were. I just needed to be reminded."

Gumi was also crying, holding Luka despite the pain in her arm. She had to be there for Luka.

"I love you too, Luka. I promise, I'll never let anything like this happen to you again."

Through their sobbing, the girls brought their lips together and gave each other a long, passionate kiss.

When Gumi and Luka returned home, they were able to cry with their friends. Gumi was pardoned of any crimes, since her claims were marked as self-defense. Time slowly healed the wounds, and everyone was able to continue going about the lives they once did. Gumi and Luka had each other, and were the happiest they could ever be. The day finally came when they announced their engagement, and everybody was thrilled for them. One particularly happy person was Kagamine Rin, who held onto a strange note for the entire party. At one instance, Rin gazed off into the sky, and it almost sounded like she said:

"You did it, Miku."

 _Why Must My Tears Go Unseen?_

To whoever may be reading this, I guess you can consider this my "suicide note." I hate that term, but I'll use it for lack of better word.

My troubles started about seven years ago, when I met Flower. I never wanted to be with her, but there I was. She threatened to kill herself so I would stay with her, and she never failed to remind me. That's why I hate the thought of taking my life by my own hands. About a year ago, I met Megurine Luka. The most beautiful and kindhearted girl I ever had the pleasure of meeting. I broke up with Flower and hooked up with her, but ended it almost immediately and went back to Flower. The biggest mistake of my life.

It was then that the aura around Luka and Gumi became very obvious. They were madly in love with each other. Like me, Luka found someone else right after our relationship ended. The way Gumi treated her, they were so perfect. I knew I couldn't compete with that, but Luka still loved me. She never did hold back her emotions, so it was easy to pick up the signals. I eventually got to the point where I wanted her to hate me just so she could see how perfect Gumi was in comparison.

Earlier this year, I set my location in Pine to permanently on. I told Lily to speak to Luka, and guide her to an abandoned warehouse that I knew. There, I snuck some of Flower's drugs, and let Luka catch me snorting. It was then that I "confessed" to her, and dumped Flower the next day. Knowing Luka, she would never leave Gumi, even after my confession. That's when I came up with a plan that I will execute in the next few days.

I have no reason to continue living. I've let Flower run my life for so long, I hurt Luka, and I missed my chance at happiness. All I want now is for the person I love to be happy. Luka. That is why I have to do what I have to do to her. I refuse to let Flower go on living without me, so I'm going to kill her. After I've killed Flower, I will kidnap Luka. I'll bring her to the warehouse and act insane, just to make her like me a little less. I'll set up a perfect damsel rescue scenario by telling Rin to remind Gumi "to check Pine" if I don't come home one night. Knowing Gumi, she'll impulsively come alone to rescue Luka.

Another thing I'm planning is to load my gun with no more than four bullets. I will fire one warning shot, and engage Gumi in combat. I'll shoot two more shots, but only at non-lethal areas. This will make both her and Luka hate me even more. When I let Gumi have the gun, that last bullet will be for me. I'll leave myself perfectly open for Gumi to hit my chest. All I ask is that I get to look at Luka one last time before my spirit leaves me.

There will not be any more bullets left. I know Gumi will try to kill herself after killing me. Finding the gun empty will give her time to reconsider, and probably give Luka enough time to talk her out of it. They will go on with their lives believing that I went insane. I was a horrible, horrible girl who should have never existed. Whatever they think of me posthumously, I don't care. As long as they love each other.

If everything works out 100%, this will be the perfect death for me. I'll be forever remembered as the girl who kept all her emotions inside until she went insane. Often, I do ask myself "Why do my tears go unseen?", but then I remember... even though I may cry, I have the ability to wipe the tears of others. I like to compare myself to a bush warbler. Their calls have always given me peace in the saddest of times. Maybe my story will encourage people to listen to others who are suffering.

Gumi, please take good care of Luka. You two belong together, and I wish you long and happy lives. Luka, I'm sorry if you hate me. From the bottom of my heart, I love you. Please, please, please have a good life. Thank you for everything.

This is the end of my green-colored tragedy. I have nothing more to say.

\- Hatsune Miku

 _ **END**_


End file.
